Saturday, October 19th 11:00 a.m. Gates Open 12:30 p.m. Lincoln Outfit 2:00 p.m. Taj Farrant 3:30 p.m. The Heartshakers 5:30 p.m. Eric Gales 7:30 p.m. CHAPEL HART
Morning & Afternoon Flights each day (weather permitting)
2024 Natchez Balloon Festival artwork winner Jillian Birely, Vidalia, LA High School Senior
Bluffs& Bayous celebrates its 25th Anniversary by revisiting signature articles through the years. This photograph appears in a reflection from early columnist Freda Piazza in our Back in the Day segment as she shared “The Lure, Lore & Loss of Rodney, Mississippi. See pages 26–27.
our team
from the PUBLISHER
Falling for Fall… really? It’s 101 degrees as I write this as all the while we are documenting our fall events— football, festivals, and celebrations including Halloween. Also, we are celebrating 25 years of publishing Bluffs & Bayous! During this 25TH Anniversary year, we will select stories from our archives and publish them in each of our 6 issues. In this edition, we feature Freda Piazza’s historical perspective and personal reflections on Rodney, Mississippi; and Joe Eidt’s tales of dove-hunting adventures. These we pulled from our fall and winter editions in 2000, yet they still are timely today.
Also on tap in this issue are our annual area college and SEC football schedules and our local NFL New Orleans Saints schedule along with each league’s championship game dates. In our Along & Beyond section, Joanna Sproles from Brookhaven, Mississippi, reflects on a recent summer experience with her daughters serving as camp counselors. Sam Gwin, as always, provides an interesting and relevant Legal Notes article, this issue’s being an insight into “Betting the Farm”; and Alma
225 John R. Junkin Drive Natchez, MS 39120 601.442.6847
Bluffs & Bayous is published monthly to promote the greater Southern area of Louisiana and Mississippi in an informative and positive manner. We welcome contributions of articles and photos; however, they will be subject to editing and availability of space and subject matter. Photographs, comments, questions, subscription requests and ad placement inquiries are invited! Return envelopes and postage must accompany all materials submitted if a return is requested. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher. The opinions expressed in Bluffs & Bayous are those of the authors or columnists and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, nor do they constitute an endorsement of products or services herein. We reserve the right to refuse any advertisement. Bluffs & Bayous strives to ensure the accuracy of our magazine’s contents. However, should inaccuracies or omissions occur, we do not assume responsibility.
Womack in her Southern Sampler shares “Facts and Fun about Halloween,” an account complemented by a view of outdoor Halloween décor from Charlotte Brent and Eric West’s home in Natchez, Mississippi. Cecilia Stevens in Something Scrumptious offers a variety of cole crop recipes, a healthy and fresh approach to enjoying these vegetables.
Of course, you’ll want to peruse our Up & Coming listings to stay in touch with the many prospects for your leisure time and entertainment: Our area communities all have intriguing events scheduled in September and October, often just a short drive to enjoy music, arts, food, and local lore—all that is life along and beyond the Mississippi.
JEAN NOSSER BIGLANE Copy Editor
BONNIE DICKERSON Design Director
CHERYL FOGGO RINEHART Publisher/Editor/Sales
LISA WHITTINGTON Photographer
MELANIE SOJOURNER Sales
SAM GWIN Contributor
BILL PERKINS Photographer
ALMA WOMACK Contributor
CECILIA HOPKINS STEVENS Contributor
JOANNA SPROLES Contributor
THE
social
SCENE NATCHEZ, MS
A Girls’ Getaway Weekend
I brought three of my wonderful friends to Natchez to embrace a very active weekend. We arrived on Friday afternoon, checked into Dunleith Historic Inn, and secured a courtyard room that was two stories! I did not even know Dunleith had rooms like that.
We began the evening with cocktails at The Pub, a trendy bar under the venue’s fine-dining restaurant, The Castle. Then, we headed downtown to the Natchez Food & Wine Festival event, Tastings Along the Mississippi River, held at the Natchez Convention Center. Somehow, we ended up being interviewed by Mayor Dan Gibson during the event! Once we finished pairing wine, food tastings, and various spirits, we strolled to the Corner Bar and hung out watching the Olympics.
On Saturday, we had brunch at The Little Easy, shopping (The ladies’ favorite was Soirée Boutique.), and drinks at Frankie's on Main—the girls loved that place too! Frankie made them feel like VIPs! Afterwards, we went to watch my boys play Bocce at The Brewery, then enjoyed a late dinner back at Frankie's.
Sunday, we ate an early lunch at The Camp down Under the Hill and then were ready to go back to Jackson, but not before we took pictures with our pink trucker hats I had made for the weekend.
The girls had never been to Natchez and want this to be an annual girls’ weekend. My guests couldn't get over how nice and welcoming everyone was as well as how beautiful and fun Natchez is.
Rachel Price Lott, a Natchez native, is married to Brian Lott and resides in Jackson, Mississippi. She is a volunteer for many non-profits in the Hinds County area as well as in her hometown. A huge advocate for Natchez, she brought Jackson, Mississippi, friends with her in July to enjoy one of the hottest events in Natchez, the Natchez Food & Wine Festival held July 26–27, 2024.
Upon arrival in Natchez, Rachel Lott, Claire Smith, Stephanie Mumbower, and Kailyn Vassar pose in front of Dunleith Historic Inn.
In front of the event backdrop are Babs Price, Claire Smith, Stephanie Mumbower, Kailyn Vassar, and Rachel Lott.
Interview by Mayor Dan Gibson Olympics at the Corner Bar
The Little Easy's fun menu
Drinks at Frankie’s on Main, always a fun venue set in an old bank building with beautiful décor
Lott boys playing bocce during the Food & Wine Festival weekend
Iconic Under the Hill-Natchez group shot with the Mississippi River and twin bridges in the background
Ladies in their trucker hats, mementos of their Girls’ Getaway Weekend
Keep It Tasty.
SAY "HELLO" TO FALL WITH COLE CROP RECIPES
Local farmers markets this fall will be filled with cole crop varieties.
Often mistakenly called “cold” crops because the items are grown in the cool and winter seasons in the South, cole crops refer to plants which are cruciferous vegetables and part of the Brassicaceae family. The term cruciferous comes from the flower which has four petals and resembles a crucifix. Vegetables in this group include cabbages, mustards, and other winter greens, turnips, broccoli, and cauliflower. Cole crops were domesticated around 300 B.C. from a common wild mustard.
Cole crops, also called Brassicas, are packed with vitamins, minerals, omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and fiber. They also contain glucosinolates, a natural anti-inflammatory which gives the brassica plants a unique, pungent smell.
Brassicas are versatile and may be enjoyed in a variety of ways. Eat them raw as a salad or crudité or serve them roasted, broiled, air-fried, or cooked in a soup or stew.
something scrumptious
Wild Duck and Turnips
Ingredients:
3 ducks, cleaned and rinsed
3 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 cups finely chopped onions
4 stalks celery, chopped
2 medium bell peppers, chopped
3 tablespoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
6 cups canned chicken broth, low sodium
1½ cups dry white wine
8 turnips (about 2 pounds), trimmed, peeled, and cubed
3 tablespoons cornstarch
Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Dry ducks and rub each with one tablespoon of Cajun seasoning. Heat oil in a large sauté pan; and brown ducks, one at a time. Place browned ducks and drippings in a large roasting pan.
Add all remaining ingredients except cornstarch to the roasting pan. Cover and cook for 2 hours. Spoon pan liquid over the ducks every 30 minutes.
Remove ducks from the roaster. Remove one cup of pan liquid. Mix with cornstarch to make a slurry and pour over vegetables in the pan. Stir until the pan liquid is thickened. Season pan liquid to taste.
Slice and de-joint ducks. Return to roaster pan.
Serve hot with rice.
Yield: Serves 8
Dale Hoover, Sr., Natchez, Mississippi
Cabbage Soup
Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts or 6 chicken thighs
8 cups water
1 large onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
4 large potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups carrots, sliced
1 large head cabbage, cubed
1 pound smoked sausage, sliced
1 tablespoon Cajun spice seasoning
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Place chicken, water, onion, and celery in a large stock pot. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; then reduce to medium-low heat and cover. Cook until chicken is tender, about one hour. Remove chicken. Skim broth and reserve.
Season broth with Cajun spice, paprika, and garlic powder. Adjust salt and pepper if needed.
Remove chicken from bone and cut into one-inch pieces. Layer ingredients in broth in this order: potatoes, carrots, cabbage, chicken, and sausage. Add water if needed to just cover ingredients. Cook over medium-low heat for 30 minutes or until the carrots and potatoes are tender. Stir. Adjust seasonings as needed.
Serve with cornbread.
Yield: Serves 8
Cecilia Stevens, LSU AgCenter
Broccoli Salad
Ingredients:
2 heads of broccoli, rinsed and separated into florets
½ cup diced red onion
½ cup raisins or dried cranberries
¼ cup roasted sunflower seeds
8 slices bacon, cooked and diced
½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Place broccoli, onion, raisins, sunflower seeds, and bacon in a large salad bowl. Mix mayonnaise, sugar, and vinegar in a small bowl. Adjust acidity or sweetness to taste. Pour over the salad ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Yield: Serves 6
Patty Carnette, Natchez, Mississippi
Mustard Green Soup
Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts or 8 chicken thighs
8 cups water
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon Cajun seasoning
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon paprika
8 cups fresh mustard greens, rinsed and chopped
1 pound Cajun smoked sausage, sliced
1 large onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
½ cup bell pepper, diced
2 cans red beans, drained and rinsed
Place chicken, water, and seasonings in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce to medium-low heat. Cover. Cook until chicken is tender, about one hour. Remove chicken. Skim and reserve broth.
Broccoli and Cauliflower Bites
Ingredients:
1½ cups broccoli florets
2 eggs beaten
1½ cups cauliflower florets
¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and spray a mini-muffin pan with cooking spray. Steam broccoli and cauliflower florets on the stove or in the microwave; then pulse in a food processor until finely chopped.
Transfer chopped broccoli and cauliflower to a medium bowl and add beaten eggs, breadcrumbs, cheese, paprika, salt, and garlic powder. Mix well.
Drop mixture by the tablespoonful into the mini-muffin pan and press down tops gently with the back of a spoon. Bake for about 15 minutes or until lightly browned; then remove them to a cooling rack. Serve warm.
Yield: Serves 6
LSU AgCenter recipes
Place sausage in a medium skillet and brown. Remove sausage and reserve 2 tablespoons drippings. Add onion, celery, and bell pepper to sausage drippings. Cook over medium heat until the onion is clear. Reserve.
Chop chicken into one-inch pieces and add to broth. Add sausage, sautéed vegetables, mustard greens, and beans. Bring to a boil; then reduce heat to medium low. Cover and cook until mustard greens are tender, about 30 minutes. Adjust seasonings as desired.
Yield: Serves 8
Cecilia Stevens, LSU AgCenter recipes
ARTICLE | Cecilia Stevens
Cecilia Stevens (B.A. LSU and M.ED. Louisiana Tech) resides in Concordia Parish, works for the LSU AgCenter, and is the parent of two adult children.
beyond
Following Daughters to Camp Proves Memorable for Mom
For many children, memories of summer camp experiences are a part of childhood. A week or two away surrounded by nature builds a bridge that connects not only years but also friendships made in these places.
Camps can be as varied as the kids that flood into them. Some camps are extensions of clubs and organizations, some stem from a particular outdoor experience or adventure, and others build from faith and nurture spirituality.
For three summers, when I was a kid, I attended a camp that seemed like an entire universe away from my usual life. My two-week home–away-from-home at King’s Arrow Ranch in Lumberton, Mississippi, was a rustic, unair-conditioned cabin with large, screened windows that provided views from our sets of bunk beds.
After morning Bible study, we attended skill workshops during the day, which we chose based on our interests. For me, horseback riding, canoeing, swimming, and crafting completed my daily schedule. At night, we played games in large groups running all over the expansive property to complete the objective of whatever game we were playing. My childhood summer camp was a place to learn independence, bond with new friends, strengthen my faith, laugh, share secrets, shout joyful screams, and then cry tears when it was time to leave.
My oldest daughter, Jamie, began working at Camp Hollymont eight years ago. She was hired as a counselor while in college at Ole Miss. Her career as a high school teacher in Petal gives her an opportunity to work summers if she chooses. And, she has chosen to return to Camp Hollymont over and over again. My youngest daughter, Katie, is currently a junior at USM in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Jamie recruited her to work as a counselor two summers ago, and Katie returned this summer as social media coordinator. So, this was the summer when I realized that both of my daughters would be at Hollymont . . . and I couldn’t resist.
I also am a teacher, so I look for summer work while I am out of the classroom. I began teasing my daughters that maybe I should apply at Hollymont and follow them to camp. I was a bit surprised when they whole-heartedly supported this idea. So, I proceeded to interview with the camp for a position. I was hired as part of the Program Staff, which entailed teaching some of the skills during the day while also helping with any other operations or activities.
This past summer, at fifty-three years old, I returned to summer camp—a different camp in a different place, but the similarities brought back so many memories from my own camp experiences.
Camp Hollymont for Girls began its summers in 1983 in the Asheville, North Carolina, area. In the summer of 2021, the camp moved to a larger campus at a boarding school in Rabun Gap, Georgia, where it has access to updated (and air-conditioned) dorm housing, classroom buildings, a large performing arts theater, a dining hall, and a private lake close by. The current owner and many of the staff members are actually past campers—a testament in itself.
I carefully considered this decision. Working at camp would mean that I would be away from home for seven weeks, leaving behind my husband and two pets. I would not get much time at all to rest over the summer. I would have to start camp just days after finishing a demanding year in the classroom and would return from camp with just a week before I began teaching again. But, I decided to grab the chance to spend two months working alongside my two daughters. The proposition was sweetened when I considered living in noticeably cooler, less humid weather than in Mississippi, and in a valley surrounded by beautiful mountains.
I was assigned to teach Drama and Digital Photography. These were areas in which I have years of experience. When I was not heading up class in these two areas, I assisted with other skills like cooking, culinary arts, art, and hammocking. (Yes, hammocking . . . the art of lying in hammocks for the purpose of relaxing, visiting a bit, and reading a book).
As a kid at my summer camp, I was limited to about ten choices of activities; and most of them required very little preparation or equipment. The larger, more state-of-the-art campus at Hollymont offers so much more. Besides the classes I taught or assisted with, girls can choose from physical skills like gymnastics, cheerleading, fishing, archery, volleyball, soccer, tennis, pickleball, field games, outdoor living, lacrosse, dance, athletic conditioning, yoga, nature walking, zumba, group games, and even cirque (aerial acrobatics). Creative and artistic choices include sculpture, jewelry design, Bible journaling, choir, sign language, and sewing, just to name a few.
The days were long, but each moment was enjoyable. Girls from age six to fifteen arrived and gave us two weeks of their lives unplugged from cell phones, computers, televisions, and video games. It was back to the basics—wake up, follow a schedule, make friends, build memories, and return home with plans to repeat it all again the next summer.
While at camp, girls were placed in tribes, which combined different ages in order to give them a chance to meet girls both older and younger than the ones they called roommates back in the dorm. The days of skills slipped into nights of fun, competitive games in which girls earned points for their tribal teams. Sprinkle in occasional campfire cookouts (complete with tin-foil dinners and s’mores), silly dress-up days, an epic talent show, other stage productions, a DJ-hosted dance party, pajama
movie night, an awards ceremony, multiple treks to the camp’s lake, and Christ-centered daily worship gatherings.
My seven-weeks’ session at camp was everything I remembered loving about my own childhood camp, but better. The quiet times were quiet, the mountain air passing through was cool, the friendships were new and welcomed, the whispers and giggles of girls all around me reminded me of the best part of being a kid.
It can be summed up well by the Hollymont Song, during which campers and staff often join arms to sway as they softly sing . . .
There’s a mountain I love where the stars shine above, Where the water flows so clear and free, And the friends I have there are in the Father’s care, Dear Hollymont is waiting there for me.
Well, it’s early to rise, to see the sun wake up the skies, All through the day we’ll sing our song, And when the sun starts to set, all the joys I won’t forget,
So if you can, bring a friend and come along.
Thanks to my daughters for letting me come along.
ARTICLE & PHOTOS | JoAnna Sproles
JoAnna Sproles of Brookhaven, Mississippi, graduated from LSU with a journalism degree. Fifteen years ago, she became an English/Language Arts teacher.
All Outdoors Delta Dove Hunt Revisited
In celebration of Bluffs & Bayous’ 25th Anniversary year of life along and beyond the Mississippi, we revisit this article written by Joe Eidt and published in our Premier Issue 2000. Joe was a consummate story-teller whose tales always entertained when they appeared in our All Outdoors column. He knew, as we and our readers know, that hunting-camp stories in the South always intrigue and are timeless.
The first of three dove seasons arrived Labor Day weekend amidst scorching temperatures and extremely dry fields. Despite the excitement of opening day, results were mixed in the Miss-Lou area. The oppressive heat limited both the number of hunters and time spent in the fields.
The second weekend was slightly improved due to more favorable conditions, but the increased harvests fell short of past opening weekends.
The Mississippi and Louisiana Deltas are traditionally hotbeds for large dove harvests. But harsh conditions also played havoc in these usually productive areas; even the famed dove shoots near the north Delta-Parchman area were impacted by the drought conditions. Scattered areas in south central Mississippi appeared to have fared better. For the most part, however, the first of three dove seasons is one that many state and area dove hunters are happy to put behind them.
The Miss-Lou area has enjoyed more than its fair share of good dove hunting in recent years. Among these, the Edwards brothers of Pinecrest Plantation, the McLemores in Concordia Parish, the Leon Smith family near the old experiment station, and the Morrison and Hi-Lo shoots south of International Paper are most memorable.
An important part of the hunting experience is recalling at a later date some of the high points of past hunts. Anyone who has ever taken to the field or lake has the memory of a special trophy or special events with family and friends, or just the beauty of a frosty morning overlooking a deep plot of decoys dancing on a windy lake.
Some of my most pleasant hunting memories center around the Mississippi Delta. There, the opening day of dove season was akin to Christmas Day, the Fourth of July, and Easter all wrapped up in one festive weekend. In many Delta areas, the opening of dove season was the high point of the heavy social calendar.
I was invited to my first Delta dove hunt in Boliver County by host Henry “Peter Rabbit” McGarrh. His invitation not only brought me back home to my beloved Delta State University but also introduced me to the first of fifteen consecutive years in a dove hunter’s paradise.
Peter Rabbit was one of those unforgettable characters that you seldom meet more than once in a lifetime. He was an avid supporter of Delta State although he graduated from Mississippi State. Rabbit would enter the stadium or gym decked out in outlandishly colorful attire. One of his favorite outfits consisted of a white, Palm Beach suit, broad-brimmed Panama hat, black spats, a gold-tipped swagger stick, and a huge cigar. Despite his flair, he was a genuine Willie Morris character, a successful cotton planter, and the epitome of a true southern gentleman.
He was a captivating storyteller, an excellent host, and a loyal friend. He had a great voice and enjoyed the morethan-occasional company of the famed Mr. Jack Daniels. I was privileged to be included in his famous hunts and warm Delta hospitality for more than fifteen years but will never forget the first.
In addition to many private gatherings throughout the area, opening day festivities began with a Friday night dance at the Cleveland Country Club. On occasion, the famed Red Tops played for a packed house. If not the Red Tops, then Delta bluesmen Sonny Thomas, Sonny Boy Williamson, or other notable Delta-bred musicians filled the bill.
On Saturday morning, a pre-hunt brunch was served, also at the country club. Many hunters from around the state gathered for Bloody Marys, Brandy Milk Punch, and the camaraderie of old and new friends gathering for the cherished hunt. Later, the group feasted on Delta Cheese Grits, grilled quail wrapped in bacon, and doves prepared in every manner possible. It was an unforgettable feast.
In those days, the season opened at noon. But after such a sumptuous lunch, it was usually 2:00 or after when Deltans arrived at the field. When we approached the field to begin the hunt, I overheard one guest exclaim,
"My God...the first three feet of Mother Earth got up and flew away!"
There were that many doves in the field on opening day 1967.
Evidence of extensive pre-hunt preparation was everywhere. Sunflower seed [to grow until plants with seed pods were bushhogged just before the hunt] was planted around edges of clean, harrowed fields and usually on the edge of sloughs or other watering holes. Previous grain crops were partially harvested, then shredded and gently plowed into the soil. There was plenty to attract the elusive and fast-flying dove. As a result of this preparation, there were occasions when the numbers were staggering. The results were likewise remarkable. If his shoulder and ammunition held out, the dove hunter would be guaranteed at least a limit of doves in a very short time.
There were other amenities which remain uniquely Delta in origin. After hunters were in the fields a few minutes, a shinny pickup truck made the rounds to each hunter. On board were white-jacketed waiters offering a wide variety of liquid refreshments and food. For each two or three guest hunters, both Labrador and human retrievers were on hand to gather the fallen doves. After the hunt, each hunter’s bag was dressed and packed in ice for the trip back home.
Men, women, and children reveled in the excitement and party atmosphere of the season with the constant popping of shells and whoops of joy everywhere. When the hunt was over around 5:30, all would gather at the host’s barn for a barbeque and party of Delta proportions. Music, food, drink, and good fellowship abounded. Hunting tales both real and imagined were exchanged. All relished the good times shared, but the man most satisfied with the merriment was host Peter Rabbit McGarrh. Those were fabulous times—the stuff of unforgettable memories.
Peter Rabbit called my house in 1982. It was near Christmas and he wanted to sing a Christmas greeting to my wife. They were great friends, also. In his typical uninhibited fashion, he belted out the Andy Williams Christmas song “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire.” It was one of her favorites. After his usual upbeat conversation, his tone became somber and his voice emotional. With a certain timidity, he revealed the real purpose of his call. He was scheduled to enter a Memphis hospital the next day for surgery. Peter Rabbit had been diagnosed with cancer.
This was the last time we would hear that melodious and happy voice. His vocal cords were removed. He survived the surgery and then began the long and difficult task of learning to speak with a voice box and tube while fighting for his life. Peter Rabbit was spared for thirteen years during which he also encountered the tragic loss of his only daughter in a mysterious shooting accident in Denver.
In addition, the late 1970s and early 1980s were not kind to farmers. But every Christmas during this span, we would wait for his call. The beautiful voice was gone. But that would not stop Rabbit. His wonderful sense of humor and love of life could not be diminished by the mere loss of his voice.
Peter Rabbit McGarrh died of lung cancer in January 1996. The wonderful memories of those gracious and exciting Delta dove hunts of the ‘60s and ‘70s and of Peter Rabbit McGarrh, remain etched in my memory.
And now, after a scorching hot summer has come and gone, cooler October temperatures herald the long-awaited arrival of other hunting seasons. Bow season opened October 1, and squirrel season on October 7 or 21, depending on your zone. Hunting fever is reaching its annual peak as hunters of all ages prepare hunting gear, camps, and food plots for the approaching deer gun season and the coming of duck season.
As we head for area clubs, fields, and lakes, let us not forget what a great blessing and privilege hunting is. An alarming number of anti-hunting, anti-gun advocates now pose a real threat to a way of life which has been enjoyed and cherished in the Deep South for three hundred years.
The anti’s have an agenda which is sharply focused on the negative elements of hunting. Evidently they do not understand why hunting is so revered by Southerners. Perhaps these folks have never experienced a frosty autumn sunrise, the musical sound of hounds pursuing a wily buck, the whir of mallards’ wings over a raft of decoys, or the bonding of father and child around a hunting camp fireplace.
I wish each of you happy and safe hunting. Be extra careful to employ safe hunting and gun-handling techniques. Respect the rights of your neighbors, fellow hunters, and landowners. And protect our precious environment from abuse, litter, and fires.
In upcoming columns of Bluffs & Bayous, we’ll take a look at reports from the fields, the modern economics of hunting, and the challenge of an ever-changing hunting environment. Of course, your comments, suggestions, and contributions will be welcomed and appreciated. Till then, enjoy, cherish, respect, and protect… all outdoors.
ARTICLE | Joe Eidt, Sr.
Mike's Milk Punch
Ingredients:
3 quarts half and half
1 bottle brandy
½ cup vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
Nutmeg for garnish
Mix all ingredients except the nutmeg in a large container. Pour into gallon size Ziploc bags and freeze. When ready to serve, allow the mixture to thaw some; and then squeeze the bag to break up the mixture. Pour into serving glasses (We prefer julep cups.) and garnish with a dash of nutmeg.
Yield: Serves plenty
Bloody Mary
Ingredients:
8 cups tomato, V-8, or Clamato juice
¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
4 tablespoons horseradish
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 tablespoon Tony Chachere's Creole Seasonings (or any spicy seasoning)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon smoked cayenne pepper
Mix all ingredients together; stir well and serve over ice. Offer garnishes such as lemon and lime slices, olives, pickled okra, asparagus, green beans, and even slices of bacon.
Yield: Serves 6-8
Back in the Day
The Lure, Lore, and Loss of Rodney, Mississippi
This article, first published in our December 2000 issue, appears again for our readers in celebration of Bluffs & Bayous’ 25TH Anniversary year of life along and beyond the Mississippi. In our Back in the Day column, Freda Piazza for decades shared her memories, quips, and commentary on life in small-town Mississippi, in her beloved and once-flourishing Rodney.
Frequently I am asked, “Where do you live?” When I reply, “Rodney,” so many people have no idea that it is a ghost town located on the Mississippi River north of Natchez; that it is shrouded in history; that at one time it boasted two newspapers, an opera house, and a number of churches, and only missed, according to legend, by two votes becoming the capital of the state.
When it was in its hey-day, livery stables and saloons abounded; and it is said that Rodney had trouble getting churches established because of the conflict between the clergy and saloons. During the mid-1800s, Rodney was one of the most promising towns on the Mississippi River with so many of its inhabitants having immigrated to New Orleans and then migrated up the river to settle here as my husband’s family did.
The downfall of the area was the building of the railroads twelve miles to the east, and the river’s meandering across its
flood plain to the west, therefore leaving Rodney high and dry.
The river at one point was right at the town of Rodney, and supplies from the riverboats were unloaded directly into the stores that were located on its bank. It is easy to imagine barrels of sugar, flour, etc., being rolled from their gangplanks into the stores!
It is said that the reasons Rodney was not selected as the capital of the state were that so often the area flooded and that Jackson was more centrally located. However, had they expanded upon the bluff hill, the river floodwaters never would have gotten Rodney. I think the irony of this whole situation is that the Pearl River has been trying to wash Jackson away ever since.
When I first came to Rodney to live in 1941, so many of the old buildings were still standing. Just in recent years, the old historic Catholic Church has been moved to Grand Gulf State Park; several of the old hand-hewn log buildings are no
First called "Petit Gulf," Rodney was only 2 votes shy of becaming the state capitol after Mississippi achieved statehood in 1817. DID YOU KNOW?
longer standing; and our family’s antique cotton gin has been relocated to Frogmore Plantation below Vidalia.
The area seems to become more and more isolated as time goes by, and so many people wonder why anyone would want to remain here. However, to the handful of people who call this “home,” it is the garden spot of the world!
Today, it is one of the best hunting and fishing areas of the state, and it is only a matter of minutes until you are at your favorite deer stand or fishing spot. Because of its very fertile farming land, due to the overflow sediments of the river, it is very productive in timber and agriculture. The area also abounds in wildlife.
Rodney was the scene of a Civil War battle that raged here; and the historic Presbyterian Church has a cannonball lodged in the front of the building, a cannonball fired from the Union gunboat, the U.S. Rattler, that was in the Mississippi River.
It is said that the Rattler had been there for some time, and the sailors had been leaving the boat to attend church and festivities that Rodney had to offer. The Confederate soldiers, having learned that the sailors were attending church services, surrounded the church to capture them.
However, some of them escaped and were able to return to the boat and initiate the firing upon the church. A very old
lady told my husband that the cross scratched on one of the pews in the church marks the spot where a sailor hid under a lady’s hoop skirt to avoid capture.
I think it is interesting to note that years ago my family owned two lots in the town, one 40 feet wide and the other 60 feet wide. The land deeds described them both as “bound on the west by the Mississippi River.” As the river gradually left Rodney, these lots became 40 and 60 feet wide and 8 miles long!
It seems that the river has a mind of its own! When it decides to do so, it takes back what it sometimes has given. This was very evident on my property a few years ago when it was not unusual to witness as much as a half acre of land slough off into the river at one time. The Corp of Engineers built dykes and did revetment to slow the ravages, attempting to do what it could to control the Mississippi; but it is a forceful body of water. It is certainly very aptly named the “Mighty Mississippi.”
ARTICLE | Freda B. Piazza
UMB not only lends money which strengthens the local economy, we generously sponsor and donate to local civic organizations, community events, and much, much more. When you bank local, you are investing in the communities in which you live and work, and UMB has been a strong community minded bank for 51 years!
2024 COLLEGE FOOTBALL SCHEDULES
Editor’s note: The following football schedules were up to date at press time. Please consult respective college and NFL websites for any changes should they occur.
ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE
Aug. 31 ................... vs Western Kentucky
Sept. 7 vs Univ. Southern FL
ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS
Aug. 29 vs Ark.- Pine Bluff Sept. 7 @ Oklahoma State
AUBURN TIGERS
Aug. 31 vs Ala. A&M
Sept. 7 ................................... vs California
Sept. 14 @ Wisconsin
Sept. 28 ................................... vs Georgia
Oct. 19 .......................... vs Arkansas State
Oct. 26 ......................... @ James Madison
Nov. 9 ..................................... vs Marshall
Nov. 16 ................................ @ Texas State
Nov. 23 ........................ vs South Alabama
Nov. 30 @ Troy
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
Sept. 8 vs Carolina Panthers
Sept. 15 ....................... @ Dallas Cowboys
Sept. 22 ................ vs Philadelphia Eagles
Sept. 29 ....................... @ Atlanta Falcons
Oct. 7 ....................... @ Kansas City Chiefs
Oct.13 .............. vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Oct. 17 ......................... vs Denver Broncos
Oct. 27 @ Los Angeles Chargers
Nov. 3 @ Carolina Panthers
Nov. 10 vs Atlanta Falcons
Nov. 17 ..................... vs Cleveland Browns
Dec. 1 ...................... vs Los Angeles Rams
Dec. 8 ..........................@ New York Giants
Dec.15 ....... vs Washington Commanders
Dec. 23 .................... @ Green Bay Packers
Dec. 29 .................... vs Las Vegas Raiders
TBD @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
southern sampler
Halloween Facts and Fun
Halloween is upon us. Through the years, it has been called a Christian holiday taken over by those with sinister intent. To many, it has become a night of emphasizing the evil forces lurking about in our spiritual landscape. Halloween has become the embodiment of all that is hedonistic, a celebration of the negative side of religion. Maybe that is what October 31 has become, but that is not how it started.
To begin at the beginning, we must first understand that the terms pagan and heathen are not interchangeable words, and one should never be confused with the other. A heathen, by definition, is an uncivilized, non-religious person. Such a person has no guiding principles to live by, no morals, no belief in any kind of deity. Such a person exists without the guidance of man or God.
A true pagan, on the other hand, is the antithesis of a heathen. A pagan is a civilized, religious person. It is just that this person’s religion is not one of the major known religions, i.e., Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, etc.
The pagan religions encompass the nature religions of the world, past and present. The pagan religion that we are most familiar with is the nature religion of the Celtic peoples. As it is with any religion, the Celtic practices were an amalgamation of deities and beliefs taken from thousands of years of interaction among the various tribes that settled northern Europe. Many of these practices were adopted by the early Christian church to make the transition to Christianity more palatable to those being converted by choice or force.
The Celtic religion is divided into four seasons: Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasadh, and Samhain. The equinoxes (Ostara and Mabon) and the solstices (Litha and Yule) are celebrated as important events in the Celtic year with Yule being the most holy of days.
Since it is October, we are about to enter the season of Samhain (pronounced SOWwen), also known as November Eve, Hallows, and All Hallows. Samhain once marked the time of sacrifice when animals were slaughtered to ensure food throughout the depths of winter. It is a time of reflection, of looking back over the last year, of coming to terms with the idea and fact of death. On the beginning day of Samhain, the separation between physical and spiritual realities is thin. It is the time to remember ancestors and all those gone before, and to thank them for the blessings of their lives. It is a time of quiet and contemplation.
How did such a peaceful concept degenerate into the Halloween practiced in the U.S.A. today? Costumes and mayhem and trick-or-treat seem a far cry from what the ancestors celebrated long ago in their season-based, rural world.
Even with this major shift in emphasis, I’ve never seen Halloween as a celebration of evil, as some do. For most kids it’s just an excuse to dress up in costume, eat outrageous amounts of candy, and be scared of the sounds of the dark. There are no evil intentions, no secret worship of the dark side, just a night for being silly.
And if someone tried to teach children about the earliest traditions of the first day of Samhain, they’d be bored stiff. Fun, not knowledge, is the name of the game.
However you look at it, the true meaning of the old pagan holiday has been lost for a long time, and the Samhain celebrations of today bear little resemblance to those of our ancestors.
Now that the history lesson is done, here is a short Halloween story from when my granddaughter, Liza, was just a little girl: Halloween is the favorite holiday of my daughter, Jorie; and she has quite a collection of scary masks and outfits that have been used to terrify the party-goers and trick-or-treaters at Halloween every year. Just by walking up at a party, she sends children scurrying for mama or the nearest protective adult. Imagine the impression she creates when she steps out of the dark woods and makes herself known to the trick-or-treaters.
One year her costume was particularly scary, so she was stationed in the woods across from my mailbox to accost the Mt. Sinai Church hay-wagon riders as they slowly made their
way through the dark. Our little Liza was here for Halloween, and she was on the hay wagon with a group of other children when Jorie jumped out with a blood curdling yell. Children and adults screamed, as intended; then Liza turned to one especially frightened child and said in her rather matter-offact way, “Don’t worry; that’s just an aunt. It’s my Aunt Jorie, not a real monster.”
Those days are long gone, and Jorie hasn’t dressed up in scary masks in years now. Miss Liza is an adult, a graduate of LSU, and is working in a grownup job. The other little children that Jorie used to terrify are all adults with children of their own. But I’d bet, if you asked them about some Halloween memories, they’d all remember the “just an aunt” and her scary masks, and the way she made Halloween fun.
ARTICLE | Alma M. Womack
Alma M. Womack lives on Smithland Plantation on Black River, south of Jonesville, Louisiana. In addition to her duties as maitresse des maison, she is the keeper of the lawn, the lane, and the pecan orchard at Smithland.
Festive Halloween decorations can be seen at the Natchez, Mississippi, home of Charlotte Brent and Eric West.
Photos by Cheryl Rinehart
Go only into familiar neighborhoods, and stop only at houses that are well lit.
Carry flashlights and use reflective tape on clothing and bags.
Walk, do not run, on sidewalks, not streets. If there are no sidewalks, walk on the left side of the road, facing traffic.
Slow down when approaching driveways to avoid exiting or entering cars, and do not run out between cars.
Discard commercially produced candy if the wrapper is loose or the seal has been broken.
Examine the outside of fruit for any suspicious cuts or holes. Wash and slice it into small pieces, checking for inedible objects.
If anything is suspicious about treats, report this to the police or other appropriate authorities.
When in doubt, throw it out.
Baseball cards or other sports cards
Coloring books, crayons, magic markers
Holiday pencils, pens, or erasers
Snack coupons to a local fast food or ice cream shop
Modeling clay
Yo-yos
Puzzles
Card games
Kites and planes
Lee Smith, CFP™, Stephanie Smith, Emily P. Maxwell, CFP™, John C. Bergeron
Betting the Farm legal
The story that I am about to relate to you is a true story though to my knowledge, never written down. It begins in the halls of the United States Congress back in the early 1970s in Washington, D.C. It starts out with a poker game in a back senate office.
A group of powerful United States Senators and some aides became enthralled in the high-stakes poker game. The only senator that I will identify was Mississippi’s own Big Jim Eastland who was always a colorful and controversial politician. Big Jim loved poker, and it was obvious because in every picture of him he maintained that stone-cold, pokerface look.
At any rate, the poker game on this particular night started seeing some high-dollar bets from Eastland and another powerful senator from the Midwest. Everybody except the two men all uttered the phrase, “I’m out.” Eastland and his counterpart kept the bet going with the proverbial, “I call, and I raise you.” Finally, the stakes got so high that the two men bet deeds to property they owned. Eastland owned prime hunting land in Southwest Mississippi close to the Mississippi River. This is what is referred to as “high stakes poker.” Both men thought they couldn’t lose. But one of the two must lose.
A full house in poker is considered a very good hand, but it cannot beat four of a kind. Big Jim lost the bet and lost the
to own this property. However, over a period of 40-50 years, there are now multiple heirs of the senator who live all over the county; and many have died leaving the property title in question. There are multiple descendants with very few heirship adjudications that are required to clear the title and sell such property.
What do you do when you and most of your family want to clean up the title to land, but the family is scattered all over the country, and none of you even knows how to get to the property, and you each own undetermined undivided interests in said property? The answer is simple. You call a Mississippi lawyer to help you wade through the legal mire of heirship property. I am the Mississippi lawyer that got the call. Ironically and as a side note, Senator Jim Eastland eulogized my great, great uncle, also an attorney, in the 1940s whose name, also ironically, was Sam Gwin.
Anytime I see families with land holdings and a death occurs, I strongly encourage them to get the estate in order. This means opening probate on the estate and, when necessary, having a court proceeding known as an adjudication of heirship which tells the world, when there is no will, exactly who all the heirs are and what percentage they own in the estate.
I can’t tell you how many times I have come across families who have land and have either a patriarch or matriarch die, and they do nothing with the estate, and more family members are born, and more family members die. This is a big problem in Mississippi. If you have a death in your family, see your lawyer. It can save you thousands of dollars in the end.
Once, I was asked to clear up the title to a 300-acre piece of property with 600 heirs. I declined that job. I really think the legislature should visit this problem and fashion a remedy. There are multiple cases of long-lost heirs owning an interest in land, but such people are not to be found, and often the property remains dormant for years. Of course, some heir must pay the taxes to keep it from going to tax sale.
Now, having seriously lectured you about the pitfalls of heir property, I must confess a little hypocrisy in that my own family finds itself in the exact same conundrum as the family who owns the Eastland tract. I won’t mention what property or who in my family is involved, but it is a problem I now will inherit one day, and no poker game will save me from it. My relatives decided they just didn’t want to sell; and through the years several family members have died, leaving more and more heirs to one day have to deal with an estate nightmare. Get your estate in order!
Lucien C. “Sam” Gwin III was admitted to the Mississippi Bar in 1981 and has been practicing many aspects of the law at the firm of Gwin, Punches & Kelley in Natchez, Mississippi, ever since.
ARTICLE | Sam Gwin
LOUISIANA
louisianatravel.com A great site for everything Louisiana
Performance Art Theatre 601.310.4933 pcltmccomb.org
October 17
United Givers’ Cooking for a Cause The Palace Theatre 6 pm pikeinfo.com
October 26
3rd Annual Breast Cancer Walk
Bo Diddley Pavillion 9 am pikeinfo.com
NATCHEZ
Live Music Events Calendar visitnatchez.org/full-eventcalendar visitnatchez.org natchezpilgrimage.com thetowersofnatchez.com natchezgardenclub.org natchezlittletheatre.com
Saturdays
Natchez Farmers Market
Downtown 300 N. Broadway 8:30 am–Noon
September 20–21
5th Annual Soul Food Fusion Festival FB: soulfusionfestntz
FB: Woodville/Wilkinson County Main Street Association
Starting September 14
Flea Market, Pop Up Shops & Farmers Market
Village Market Place 3880 Hwy. 61 N 8 am–3 pm
Announce your special engagement or wedding in our January Wedding Edition of Bluffs & Bayous.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
• Wedding coverage includes up to ten photographs and a wedding story. Engagement coverage includes one photograph and engagement information.
• Submit your formal wedding announcement of up to 850 words or your engagement announcement of up to 250 words in a Word document only. Editorial staff may make slight changes to the wording but will not compose the announcement from information submitted in lists.
• Submit up to 10 wedding photographs from which the editorial staff will choose the number relative to the length of your announcement. Photographs must be provided as jpeg files at 300 d.p.i resolution, sized at 3x5” or larger.
PACKAGES
• Engagement Only - $250
• Wedding Only - $350
• Wedding & Engagement Package - $450 (Package includes engagement and wedding coverage.)
Contact us for availibility at bluffsmag@gmailcom.
the natchez garden club presents
Festival
Junior Cotillion
WHEN:
5th Grade / January 26, February 2, 9, 16, & 23 / 3:00–4:30 p.m.
6th Grade / January 26, February 2, 9, 16, & 23 / 5:00–6:30 p.m.
WHERE:
Ellicott Hall 211 N. Canal Street, Natchez
WHO:
Open registration for all 5th-6th grade boys and girls
HOW: Register at NATCHEZGARDENCLUB.ORG
JJunior Cotillion gives middle school boys and girls training and practice in social skills that will build connections, confidence, and self-assurance. As adults, we know the lessons, social skills, and dancing learned in Cotillion will benefit these participants for years to come. Middle school students may not see these reasons. Our job as parents is to weigh the benefits of an opportunity, look beyond
their apprehensions, and gently push their boundaries while supporting them along the way.
For early bird registration and application, visit natchezgardenclub.org through August 31, 2024. Receive $25 off tuition and reserve your child’s spot. Each class has a limited enrollment size. For more information, contact Cheryl Rinehart at (601) 807-3082 or cherylrinehart25@gmail.com
