Friday March 16,
Daily Corinthian
T-storms
2012
50 cents
Vol. 116, No. 65
Today
Tonight
81
61
• Corinth, Mississippi • 20 pages • 2 sections
Over 6,000 register for Shiloh reenactment BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
Over 6,000 reenactors have registered for the upcoming 150th Blue-Gray Shiloh reenactment, according to event organizers. “Things are going really well,” said Lee Millar, president of the Battle of Shiloh Association and co-event coordinator. “Guys are coming from all over America and foreign countries.” Millar said the reenactment
is shaping up to possibly be among the most successful events of its kind ever held. With Shiloh being one of the most well-known and extensively studied battles of the war, he said, many reenactors are drawn to the event. Another factor in the high level of interest in the event is the sesquicentennial, the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Shiloh. “If it keeps going like this, it could be the second or third biggest reenactment ever, but
we’re never going to surpass Gettysburg,” he said. Work on the reenactment site continues, as the BlueGray Alliance of Reenactors work to get everything in place for the March 29 through April 1 event. Workers have cleared campsites, built two of the site’s three bridges, bringing in gravel for access roads and “bush-hogging” the battlefield. “We’ve got quite a lot to do, but it’s looking real good,” said Millar.
A total of 140 pieces of artillery have signed on for the event, and spectators from 24 states across the country have already purchased tickets or made reservations, Millar said. “It’s really going to be quite big,” he said. Organizers expect another thousand reenactors will get involved by the day of the event. The reenactment will be held on 2,000 acres adjacent to Shiloh National Military Park, located across McNairy and
Hardin Counties in southeast Tennessee. It is co-hosted by the local Battle of Shiloh Association and the national Sons of Confederate Veterans. It is endorsed by the Tennessee Civil War Preservation Trust. It is one of two reenactments going on at the same time near Shiloh park. The other is being put on by the Army of the Tennessee. For more information email the Shiloh event team at shilohbattle@yahoo.com.
Staff photo by Brant Sappington
Corinth Street Commissioner Jim Bynum points out the recently cleared banks of Elam Creek near the Corinth Gas and Water Department.
City continues creek cleanup BY BRANT SAPPINGTON bsappington@dailycorinthian.com
Corinth city leaders are focused on preparing for the next major storm, clearing creeks and opening drainage channels to make sure when heavy rains come they won’t have the opportunity to stay around. Mayor Tommy Irwin said improving the infrastructure of the city has been a key focus since he took office and one of the areas already reaping benefits has been a citywide effort by the street department to improve drainage and help solve the root cause of flooding that in the past has caused serious damage and dangerous conditions throughout the city. Irwin said they have sought unique solutions and put money and manpower behind the effort because they believe a solid and dependable infrastructure is key to city growth. The drainage project has been
unprecedented in its scope, said the mayor. “We’re doing things that have just never been done before,” he said. Street Commissioner Jim Bynum said he was given a mandate to clear out the network of creeks and drainage ditches and canals that cut through the city to help prevent future flooding. The work began shortly after the new city administration took office. The commissioner said while efforts from other agencies have focused on improving drainage outside the city limits, absolutely no work has been done within the city of Corinth by anyone other than the city itself through projects led by and funded by the city. On a recent tour of the work, Bynum showed off Elam Creek, Phillips Creek and other key drainage routes and their tributaries where city workers
have used heavy equipment such as bush hogs with long extendable arms to get down along the banks and clear out years of heavy brush and undergrowth that have in the past clogged the channels and created barriers for water that needs to escape the city following heavy rains. All the debris have been ground up in the process and left along the banks as mulch, an environmentally friendly method that will eventually allow the debris to rot away and return back to the soil. Bynum said they have been especially careful to remove any debris that fell into the water during the work to preserve habitat and to prevent those debris from creating additional drainage problems. One key area of the project was work to clear out underPlease see CREEKS | 2A
Staff photo by Mark Boehler
Work continues on Fillmore Street with milling, paving and extensive sidewalk renovation work, as seen at the corner of Linden Street near Corinth Public Library.
Contractor expects Fillmore to open today BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
The reopening of Fillmore Street will be a welcome site for motorists. Fillmore, temporary closed while construction workers continued the street improvement project, will be open to traffic today, according to contractor Felix Rutledge. “We will be finished with the milling and will be doing some final cleanup on Friday,” said Rutledge, owner of Rutledge Contracting of Tupelo on Thursday afternoon. “Sixty percent of the concrete work is done and we are still on schedule.” Three to four inches of old asphalt was removed on Fillmore
Street as part of the extension of the street’s prior milling and paving work. Included in the project are some handicap accessible ramps and some limited sidewalk repair. “There is a lot going on with the project,” said Rutledge. “Things have gone well and we haven’t made too many people mad.” Rutledge expects work to be finished by mid-April on Fillmore. “This isn’t real productive work, but we should be out of here by April 15,” he said. The contract length is 60 calendar days for Fillmore Street. For more information about the Fillmore Street project contact Felix Rutledge at 662-401-3180.
Rodeo clown Bert Davis brings ‘Muttley Crew’ act to Corinth BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
The Coppertown Clown has gone to the dogs. Veteran rodeo clown Bert Davis is bringing his Muttley Crew to the Crossroads Arena as part of the Lone Star Rodeo on Friday, March 23 at 7 p.m. “This will be the first time I have performed in Mississippi,” said Davis, who has performed in 43 states. “I’m going to try something new for the crowd during the pre-rodeo.” Davis and his wife, Frannie, travel across the country in a 40-foot trailer with 13 dogs used in their act. All of the canines used in the show have been rescued from animal shelters. “I believe if a dog is ever rescued from a shelter, it will make
good on life,” said the 54 yearold Davis. “It will have a little more heart to please you.” The “Clown with all the Dogs” as he often refers to himself, reached the third round of the NBC show “America’s Got Talent” in 2010 with his band of canines. The Coppertown Clown and his dogs have also been recognized by National Geographic in a television documentary titled “Dogs with Jobs” and has been part of numerous other documentaries. “I am the only clown around that every act is done with trained animals,” he said. The rodeo clown/entertainer has been in the rodeo business since 1974. He stuck with using the dog act in 1995. Please see MUTTLEY | 2A
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Bert Davis will be bringing his Muttley Crew to the Crossroads Arena on Friday, March 23.
Photo courtesy FotoCowboy
On this day in history 150 years ago Sherman’s division returns down the Tennessee River to the first river landing which was still above the rising water: Pittsburg Landing. Federal gunboats and mortar boats begin to bombard the Confederate defenses at Island No. 10 near New Madrid, Mo.