Delta Magazine January/February 2019 Complimentary Issue by Delta Magazine

Delta

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

annual tourism ISSUE Live music HOT SPOTS CLARKSDALE cool digs Rediscover MEMPHIS Delta detours

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Touching lives. Powering the future. At Entergy Mississippi, the communities we serve are the communities we call home. That’s why we stay active and involved – because we know our responsibility reaches beyond the power grid. So, we invest in education and industry, while developing new solutions to power tomorrow. As a community, our successes fuel each other. We’re all on a circuit. And together, we power life. entergybrightfuture.com

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HE WAN ANTS T GROW TO W UP TO BE EA SUPERH HERO

Cayson - Mathiston, ston, MS

WE’R RE HERE T TO MAKE E SURE HE E CAN. At Children n’s of Mississippi, we wantt every child to grow up p strong and healthy so their heir biggest dreams can an come true. We e’re expanding panding and modernizing d i ing i the h state’’s only l children’ hildren’ en’’s h hospital i l and our pe ediatric specialty clinics. Every inch

of our new facility will be designed gned with kids in mind, d, including a pediatric surgical wing, child-friendly riendly imaging, and private vate rooms for NICU and d PICU patients. Help us make k sure our patients’ tients’ big dreams can come me true.

Architectural rendering of the he new Children’s building

HELP US G GROW

SO O THEY CAN N GROW W.. Learrn more at growc childrens.org

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4 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

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Losing g weight begins with gaining a su upport. To leaarn more aboout our pproggram,, call 1-800-976-5589.

Baptist North Mississippi Weight Loss Center is the first accredited weight loss center in the region, so we understand losing l weight requires support. Our bariatric surgeo ons, Dr. Walker Byars an nd Dr. Scott Therrien, have ssuccessfully helped many patients lose weight through o surgery. Our team of spe ecialists, including nurses, ses, pulmonologists,, and dietitians provide e pre- and post-operative support. s Get better witth Baptist.

Get Better. northmiss.baptiston nline.org

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DELTA M

Publisher: J. Scott Coopwood Editor: Cindy Coopwood Managing Editor: Pam Parker Contributing Editors: Hank Burdine, Maude Schuyler Clay, Noel Workman, Roger Stolle Digital Editor: Phil Schank Graphic Designers: Sandra K. Goff, Cailee Conrad, Holly Ray Consultant: Samir Husni, Ph.D. Special Projects Coordinator: Stacye Trout Contributing Writers: Karen Pulfer Focht, Martha Scott Poindexter Guenther, Eric Eason Hall, Brenda Ware Jones, Liza Jones, Susan Marquez, Amy Morris, Aimee Robinette, Angela Rogalski, Erin Williams Photography: Tom Beck, Austin Britt, Rory Doyle, Karen Pulfer Focht, Randall Haley, Wills Jacks, Johnny Jennings, Staci Lewis, Bill Powell, Scott Speakes, Jenny Woodruff Circulation: Holly Tharp Accounting Manager: Emma Jean Thompson Account Executives: Cristen Hemmins, Kristy Kitchings, Wendy Mize, Ann Nestler, Cadey True POSTMASTER: Send all address changes to Delta Magazine P.O. Box 117, Cleveland, MS 38732 ADVERTISING: For advertising information, please call (662) 843-2700 or email Delta Magazine accepts no responsibility for unsolicited materials or photos and in general does not return them to sender. Photography obtained for editorial usage is owned by Delta Magazine and may not be released for commercial use such as in advertisements and may not be purchased from the magazine for any reason. All editorial and advertising information is taken from sources considered to be authoritative, but the publication cannot guarantee their accuracy. Neither that information nor any opinion expressed on the pages of Delta Magazine in any way constitutes a solicitation for the sale or purchase of securities mentioned. No material in Delta Magazine may be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the publication. Delta Magazine is published bi-monthly by Coopwood Magazines, Inc., 125 South Court St., Cleveland, MS 38732-2626. Periodicals postage paid at Cleveland, MS and additional mailing office. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Delta Magazine, P.O. Box 117, Cleveland, MS 38732-0117. Delta Magazine (USPS#022-954)

Delta Magazine is published six times a year by Coopwood Magazines, Inc. EDITORIAL & BUSINESS OFFICE ADDRESSES:

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 117, Cleveland, MS 38732 Shipping Address: 125 South Court Street, Cleveland, MS 38732 Phone (662) 843-2700 • Fax (662) 843-0505 deltamagazine.com E-mail: publisher@deltamagazine.com editor@deltamagazine.com Subscriptions: $28 per year 6 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

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! n O s ’ p Sou 2 b e F11am-1pm

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TICKETS: $15 in Advance ce / $2 $20 at Door Children dren uunder 12 • $5

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from the editor

We at Delta Magazine were honored to receive the Researchin-Action award for the Delta Region at the 2018 Governor’s Conference on Tourism.

2018 memories recently took the time to flip through the pages of every issue of Delta Magazine published

Iin 2018. I still marvel at how much we pack into each issue and just how much effort our team pours into every page. It also served as a sort-of journal of my own life during the past year. It conjured up memories of note:

✦ Constantly calling our neighbor Signe Adams for help with photo shoots! Her dining room,

✦ Using Ray and Alison Callahan’s (my brother and sister-in-law!), cool vintage accessories kitchen, porch, dishes, glassware and chickens have all graced our pages.

for the November/December food shoot which produced my favorite cover of the year, kudos to Rory Doyle.

✦ Laughing and chatting with Cordelia as we cooked and styled countless recipes, usually

✦ Being thankful for Frank Melton, Cordelia’s neighbor who usually has whatever we need at her house, because she’s allergic to my cats. She also just does not like them.

✦ Time spent with Tommy Goodman, one of the coolest people in the Delta, shooting and and don’t have.

✦ Hanging out with Hank on the book tour for Dust in the Road: Recollections of a Delta learning all about Carrollton.

✦ Manning

Boy, which quickly sold out and is in it’s second printing!

the DM booth at Mistletoe Marketplace and realizing once again that EVERYONE has a “Delta” story, and they want to tell you about it…even if they only visited once in college for a house-party. I love this.

✦ Two full days spent exploring and photographing Vicksburg and the Italian couple we met who were honeymooning in the Delta, traveling down Highway 61 from Memphis to New Orleans.

Fun times with Stacye Trout and Hank Burdine at Mistletoe Marketplace.

…and that brings me to the focus of this issue—tourism. Yes, everyone loves the Delta and people from all over the world travel here to experience our culture, history, food, music and more. What better time than the beginning of a new year to plan your own excursion through the flatland and finally visit one of those places you’ve just never gotten around to seeing. Or to catch live blues at the juke joint up the road? So buckle up and enjoy our 2019 Tourism Guide which is packed with things to do, where to stay, eat, play and more. Looking forward to the year ahead, our constant commitment remains—to bring you the stories, fabulous photography, food, history and more of this magical place. DM

Cindy Coopwood Editor @cindycoop1 cindy@deltamagazine.com

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⤵

Rory Doyle shooting our vintage cocktails.

The elusive Cordelia Capps. This is the only picture she let us take of her this year.

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contents Volume 16 No. 4

JANUARY/FEBRUARY Shack Up Inn, Clarksdale

81 38

departments

BOOKS

SHOPPING

Reviews of new releases and what Deltans are reading now

Travel in style

ART

MUSIC

104

HOME

120

FOOD

140

Tommy Walton of Moon Lake: Watercolorist, metalsmith and woodworker

Paul Abraham: His life in rock and roll

Everything old is new again in this reimagined Oxford home

Comfort food recipes for dark winter days Dining & Restaurant Guide, page 125

HISTORY

A salute to the Delta’s Generals

86 features

116 129

DM’S ANNUAL TOURISM GUIDE

DELTA URS DETO

Live music hot spots, page 47 Spring festival calendar, page 53 Delta Detours and Tourism advertising section, page 54 Cool Digs, page 76 Rediscovering Memphis, page 86 Hidden gems of Memphis barbecue, page 98

ALLURE OF THE DELTA

HEALTH, BEAUTY AND WELLNESS

What makes “the most Southern place on earth” so intriguing

Start the new year off right with these health care providers

in every issue 14 Letters 18 On the Road Where we’ve been, where we’re going next

22 Off the Beaten Path Roaming the Real and Rustic Delta

26 Hot Topics 144 Events A listing of events including concerts, festivals, book signings

147 Delta Seen Pages of snapshots from area fundraisers, art openings and social events

152 The Final Word by Martha Scott Poindexter Guenther ON THE COVER: Live music at Ground Zero Blues Club. Photo by Austin Britt. 12 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

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LET’S START THE CONVERSATION TODAY. Alan Sims | Commercial Banking 662.227.4044 | alan.sims@regions.com

Commercial Banking | Treasury Management | Capital Markets | Wealth Management © 2019 Regions Bank. All loans and lines subject to credit approval, terms and conditions. | Regions and the Regions logo are registered trademarks of Regions Bank. The LifeGreen color is a trademark of Regions Bank.

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LETTERS Page 53

10/17/18 2:08 PM Page 52

East. As prior owner and operator, that portion brought me tears of joy for those wonderful days and memories. Of course, I read that part first! Thank you for including it. Hank’s accounting of those days is spot on! My hat’s off to you all. Congratulations on a beautiful and interesting look at the wonderful history we all share. Ken Levy Destin, FL

ART

MELISSA ABIDE GRIFFITH

elissa “Missy” Abide Griffith is entering a new phase of her life; in turn her art has taken on a softer, more ethereal look. “I’m 51,” she says. “I’m an empty nester. I guess my life is more calm and serene now, and my art reflects that.” Griffith says she can see her life’s journey in her art. “I once painted in very vibrant colors. My painting now reflects where I am emotionally and spiritually. It’s more soothing and calm.”

This Greenville native’s surreal art captures color while chasing light

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MELISSA ABIDE GRIFFITH

BY SUSAN MARQUEZ

52 | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018

For many years, I have enjoyed Delta Magazine. Although I no longer live in Greenville, I still enjoy reading about the people and places in the Mississippi Delta. How honored I was to be featured in your Novenber-December edition! Who would have thought that from that article, I would have received so many phone calls, texts and emails from friends I haven’t heard from in years! Not only that, Delta Magazine has been so beneficial to my work as an artist in featuring my art, and putting it on the map, so to speak. It truly has been a wonderful experience, and a tremendous amount of fun! It has also been a lovely reminder of my Delta roots, a place I miss dearly, but will always keep in my heart. Oh, and those Blue Hawaii cocktails were delish, by the way! Missy Abide Griffith Bentonville, AR

Griffith grew up in Greenville, and while she has always been creative, she began actively painting at eighteen years of age. “I went to LSU and wanted to major in art, but my father didn’t want me to be a starving artist,” she laughs. “So I majored in European history. I studied the Enlightenment and the Reformation, and art is really a big part of that. In studying history, I saw how beautiful, light-filled art evolved into darker art, which is something I paid attention to.” During college, Griffith always painted for her own enjoyment. “I’m self-taught. I took a few classes along the way, but mostly I have always thought in terms of what I can do to portray something the way I see it.” While her art is influenced today by her childhood in Greenville, she didn’t realize what a visually rich place it was until she started painting. “All my work includes a horizon line. There’s something about that big, open Delta sky that opens and yawns. Growing up in the Delta definitely affected my art work. I went back to where it all started and took pictures and started painting.”

After college Griffith was a flight attendant for American Airlines for five years, with her home base in Chicago. She met her husband, David, there, and the couple married and lived in Chicago for

twenty-six years. The couple has three sons, all born and raised in Chicago. Oldest son Jack, works in commercial real estate in Chicago; Simon serves in the Navy, and

Griffith uses thin layers of water-based paints to evoke the gauzy look of the South in her paintings.

Andrew is a redshirted freshman on the Ole Miss football team. Needless to say, at this time in her life, weekends are reserved for Ole Miss games. Raising three boys and trying to paint was sometimes a challenge for Griffith. “I used to try to paint in my basement when the boys were young, but when I went down to paint, my boys would want to paint too, so it often turned into an art lesson for them.” Griffith put down her brush for the most part while the boys were growing up. They were active in sports and other pursuits, which kept her busy as well. Once she started painting again seriously, one of her three brothers told her she should put her paintings in the furniture store they owned in Springdale, Arkansas. “They sold immediately,” recalls Griffith, “and that was the springboard I needed to get me going into the serious pursuit of art.” Two years ago Griffith and her husband moved to Bentonville, Arkansas, where she set up a studio behind the garage. “This is a great place to live and to paint,” she says. “It’s like living in a large city because it has all the amenities.” They live in walking distance of

DELTA MAGAZINE 2018

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As I sit in my favorite chair, late on a Saturday evening, sipping on some fine bourbon, enjoying the chronicles of life in the Delta as written in Hank Burdine’s book Dust in the Road, Recollections of a Delta Boy, I am taken back to my youth in a wonderfully mystical way. We children of the Delta, all scattered about, should be thankful that Hank was wise enough to remain ensconced there so as to save all of us these wonderful memories. Thank you Delta Magazine for allowing him to write for your fine magazine. Erle Newton Atlanta GA

When I was a boy, my family and I lived in the country between Merigold and Cleveland back in the early 1950s when my father worked for the old Illinois Central Railroad. The best memories I have of that time is riding my bicycle around Cleveland when staying with friends, playing in Fireman’s Park, and visiting the old ice-cream place (the name I cannot recall) that was located downtown near the railroad tracks. Then, one day, my father announced we were moving out west to Arizona and NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018

thhe

ue Holididay Iss

I am beyond impressed with the release of Hank Burdine’s new book Dust in the Road, and the great forward by Julia Reed. It makes me very proud to be a part of the book as written in the article on One Block

Cocktail Chic

Find nostalgia in every item of the

Delta Magazine Gift Collection Call or come by our office to shop our gift collection at 125 South Court Street, Cleveland, 662.843.2700. Like our official Delta Magazine Page We’re “buzzed” about our exclusive linen cocktail napkins, set of four for $40 14 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

Twitter @Delta_Mag

Instagram @deltamagazine

To subscribe, call (662) 843-2700 or visit deltamagazine.com

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that was that. As the years passed, I lost contact with my friends back in Bolivar County. Then, my career took me to the Pacific Northwest and for several decades we were far removed from the south. However, not long after retiring, we moved back to the south (four years ago) to be near my wife’s relatives and now we live in Memphis. I have not been to Cleveland in over forty-five years, but that will soon change thanks to your magnificent magazine I discovered a few months ago. In the pages, I have spent hours reading about the region that was once my home. The articles you feature are incredible because most would think (including me) there is not much to do in the Delta. Obviously, that is not the case. My wife and I will soon drive down and spend a few days, in essence traveling down memory lane. In doing so, we will use past editions of your magazine to serve as our tour guide. Will Naperton Memphis, TN

After submitting traditional recipes and being interviewed for the story on Hanukkah, I must say I am so impressed with Rebekkah Arant, who not only wrote the article, but actually made the brisket and latkes recipes I submitted! She was diligent to ask questions, being certain to get the recipes just right, and did an excellent job explaining the history, symbolism and traditions we celebrate during the Festival of Lights. Thanks to Delta Magazine for covering our special holiday! Leanne Silverblatt Indianola, MS

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SEND COMMENTS AND LETTERS TO editor@deltamagazine.com or Delta Magazine PO Box 117 Cleveland, MS 38732 DELTA MAGAZINE 2019

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winter wonder

PHOTO DONNY WHITEHEAD

The sight of snow in the Delta is rare. However, when it does occur, Deltans are overjoyed at the magical sight. In the 1950s and in the late 1960s, the Delta received several record snowfalls as photographed in downtown Greenwood in February of 1951. DM

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ON THE ROAD

where we’ve been, where to go next

ields Surveying the FTALLAHATCHIE COUNTY

WASHINGTON COUNTY

Cypress trees receive their winter colors on Lake Washington. – ANNE CERANTI

Athena, an Arab Cross, on Shoestring Road looking over the Delta. – DONNA BUFORD

PHOTO OPS &

ROLLING FORK

YAZOO COUNTY

Gone but not forgotten, the old tenant house at Mont Helena Plantation in Rolling Fork, destroyed by a falling tree a few years ago. – MARTY KITRELL Jimmy, a Red British Lab, doing what he does best—awaiting his next retrieve. – PEPPER TAYLOR

NASHVILLE

HOLMES COUNTY

Carter Vintage Guitars in Nashville is the place to shop for six-string lovers and others. – DELTA MAGAZINE

18 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

The Little Red School House, established in 1847 and used until 1959. – BRUCE BARTLEY

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NATCHEZ

River Time

WESTERN BOLIVAR COUNTY

The American Duchess Riverboat docked next to Silver Street in Natchez. – SEN. ROGER WICKER

Close Encounters

FUNKY STOPS Roaming the real and rustic Delta

An unexpected and slightly alarming visit from a curious friend while sittting on a deer stand in late November. – JORDAN COOPWOOD

CHATHAM

Another era

The Delta’s first arrival of snow this winter. – DR. LARRY GOLDSTEIN

VICKSBURG YAZOO CITY

Salute to the Past

Abandoned building in the South Delta—alone but not forgotten. – JAMIE PATTERSON

These Warbird planes were instrumental in helping secure the Allied victory in World War II. – DANNY JOHNSON Instagram users, follow @deltamagazine and see #DMphotoops

DELTA MAGAZINE 2019

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OFF THE BEATEN PATH roaming the real and rustic Delta

BILL’S CUSTOM AUTOMATICS & DUNN’S COUNTRY STORE Relentlessly pursuing perfection and Serving Up Great Food With A Hometown Atmosphere BY ANGELA ROGALSKI

estled in the small town of Shelby, Mississippi, lives a master in the gunsmith world. Tim Thompson, originally from Anchorage, Alaska, and his business, Bill’s Custom Automatics, have become a recognized name throughout the United States and the gunmaker is highly sought after by gun enthusiasts and accomplished sports shooters such as champion shooter, Jessie Harrison. Thompson said what makes him unique is just like any metalsmithing artist, “You bring your own creative mentality to each project and an attention to detail that is very unique and of high quality.” While Thompson sells and repairs several variety of guns, his custom made .45 pistols are his calling cards. The pistols he manufactures are made from all CNC components which makes the fit exact and increases mechanical accuracy. 311 West Second Avenue, Shelby (662) 398-5001 • billscustomautomatics.com Thompson holding one of his custom made rifles. Below, unique BBQ and burgers in Water Valley.

little country store with a good hometown environment, is how Gene Dunn, the owner of Dunn’s Country Store in Water Valley, Mississippi describes his restaurant, general store, gas station and bait shop. And if you’re looking for friendly folks who serve Southern food cooked to perfection, you have found your off-thebeaten-path paradise. Formerly Sylva Rena Grocery & Bait Store, Dunn’s is a spot where you can sit down and relax, enjoy great food and talk to your neighbor, whether you know them or not. From plate lunches to their real claim to fame, their BBQ and burgers, Dunn says the food second to none. “I hickory smoke my own meat here at the store and we hand-form our own burger patties out of ground chuck and serve it on a gourmet, sourdough bun. This is not the place to come if you’re wanting to eat nuts and twigs. We’re going to feed you like grandma fed you.” 17608 Highway 32, Water Valley facebook.com/Dunn’s-Country-Store 22 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

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OFF THE BEATEN PATH

roaming the real and rustic Delta

LEVON HELM BOYHOOD HOME A salute to a member of The Band

DICK LOEK/TORONTO STAR

NSF MUSIC STATION

ED CARAEFF/GETTY IMAGES

Top, Levon Helm’s boyhood home. Below, Helm and The Band. Bottom left, Helm with Bob Dylan.

here has always been a deep fascination with American music especially the genre that meshes together the rich sounds of blues and rock from the Deep South. One such notable musician known for this is the late Levon Helm who became world-famous with The Band, a Canadian rock group, best known for hits like, “The Weight” and “Up On Cripple Creek.” Helm left home after high school and teamed up with Ronnie Hawkins, another pioneering rock and roll musician, to pursue a career in the industry. But Helm never forgot his roots working on a cotton farm in the small community of Turkey Scratch, Arkansas. To commemorate his life and add to the list of places to visit while on a rock and roll history tour, Helms’ boyhood home has been relocated to downtown Marvell, Arkansas, eight miles away from the original site in Turkey Scratch. It was recently added to the Arkansas Register of Historic Places and is currently under construction and will soon be available to tour. Also in the works is a bronze statue of Helms, being created under the artful eye of painter/sculptor, Kevin Lresse, who is a native son of Arkansas as well. Joe Griffith, the organizer of the Levon Helm Legacy Project, said the endeavor has been in the making for over six years, and has involved Levon’s fans and friends who wanted to find a way to honor him following his death in 2012. The group has held fundraisers and received donations to help with the costs of the restoration project and companion piece. Helm performed with The Band at Woodstock in 1969. They recorded ten studio albums and were also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. His career wasn’t completely defined by The Band. Helm won three Grammys as a solo artist. He was a singer, drummer and mandolin player who also performed with Bob Dylan and Ringo Starr. For more information visit levonhelmmemorial.org.

Helm playing with The Band in front of 42,000 people at Toronto’s Varsity Stadium in 1974. DELTA MAGAZINE 2019

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HOT TOPICS A TASTE ABOVE An exceptional special brand of vodka Mastering your craft is important in any profession, and the making of a fine vodka is no exception. President and Founder, Jim Bulian of Oxford, Mississippi, says Artist Vodka, his own master series of the liquor, is definitely a taste above the rest. Artist Vodka is made from organic Italian Farro wheat and waters from the Northern Cascades. Distilled 5X by the Old World method, the taste is truly a unique and awakening experience, and all of the gluten is distilled out through the process. It’s available in Mississippi, Tennessee, Louisiana, California, Nevada and Alabama. “We’re looking to get into more states, so people can ask their local restaurants, bars and liquor stores to pick it up,” says Bulian. Bulian is a film producer, restaurant owner, and now a creator of a distinct and unique brand of vodka. He realized about ten years ago that producing films was his true calling, and after an extensive amount of time educating himself through school, seminars, books and other

avenues, he discovered that getting to know the people in the business was vital to his success, which actually led to the creation of Artist Vodka. “I was having dinner with an A-list celebrity about five years ago, and he was drinking vodka and asked me to try it. So, I did and truthfully, I wasn’t too impressed. He claimed it was the best vodka he had ever tasted and I begged to differ. I figured if the vodka company who made that vodka could do it, I could do it better and bring it into my restaurants.” And that’s what he did. Bulian is founder and president of Old Venice Pizza Company, owner of The Summit Lodge Bar, both located on the Oxford Square, and he just remodeled their Old Venice location in Memphis to Memphis Kitchen. “It took two years to perfect this vodka, but I had to make sure that Artist Vodka, Master Series, was simply the best vodka out there.” Visit artistvodka.com for more information.

CLEVELAND FRESH A special store in the heart of the Delta Cleveland Fresh is an aptly named boutique store. As you walk through the door, lush, live greenery brings a bit of the outdoors inside providing an immediate, natural-feeling experience. Located in downtown Cleveland, Desira Warrington decided to bring a love of creativity to her hometown. With the store’s mantra, “Fresh Ideas, Fresh Energy, and Fresh Opportunities,” Warrington and company fit well into their surroundings. “We are fortunate to live in an area with so many new and exciting things going on around us,” she says. “Our unique city offers us many choices in terms of retail and restaurants.” While Warrington is the owner, she surrounds herself with equally creative people who have something fresh to offer. “Each person who works here brings a special talent to our store,” she says. “You can see each person’s personality throughout our space.” Cleveland Fresh is a full service florist with a cooler that’s stocked daily with flowers and arrangements to fit anyone’s budget. There is also a bakery with delicious and simply decorated Bundt cakes and delicately embellished Petit Fours. There are also numerous gift suggestions from Etta B Pottery, candles, and an assortment of candies for the young and the young at heart. “Cleveland Fresh

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features everything from funky to beautiful,” Warrington says. The business held its opening day in conjunction with the city’s annual holiday tradition—Open House. “It was absolutely wonderful. We enjoyed seeing so many happy people preparing for the holiday season,” she says. “My goal is to offer a ‘one-stop-shop’ where people can do something kind for someone else at a reasonable price; And, every now and then, it’s nice to do something for yourself.” 117 South Sharpe Avenue, Cleveland, (662) 441-0500

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HOT TOPICS TENNESSEE WILLIAMS RECTORY MUSEUM A brief look into the life of one of America’s greats There is a new museum in the Delta honoring playwright Tennessee Williams, his childhood times there, and the places and people that inspired many settings and characters of his plays. The Delta has been an inspiring place for multitudes of writers. Perhaps it’s the contrast of the rich and poor, the oppressed and the entitled––along with passions that run deep, and a high regard for tradition. Take the South and zero in on it, and you’ll find Mississippi. Zero in on that and you’ll find the Delta. Young Tennessee (Tom) Williams spent a great deal of time in Clarksdale as a child during the 1920s, returning often well into the 1950s. During this time, he was an observer of all of the revelry and contradiction around him. Although he was not from an aristocratic family, he was a friend to them, spending time in their homes. He was also the grandson of the Episcopal rector, with whom he was very close. The cues he took from this broad group and their vices and successes, swirled with his own ideas and mythology, eventually evolveing into his characters, for better or worse. Through the characters and settings of his plays, he brought the Delta to the world. Clarksdale was already home to The Mississippi Delta Tennessee Williams Festival founded by local journalist, photographer, and author, Panny Mayfield, and noted Tennessee Williams scholar, Dr. Kenneth Holditch. Now in its twentyseventh year, the festival has welcomed actors, scholars, and attendees from all over Mississippi, the United States, and the Meri Tehnet, Eva Connell, Karen Kohlhaas world. To compliment the annual October and Father Jason Shelby Bob Cuccioli, Karen Kohlhaas, Laila Robins and Eva Connell festival, there is a Tennessee Williams permanent collection housed in the old rectory where his and the curation of the museum. Broadway actors Laila Robins grandfather lived and he spent so much of his childhood. and Bob Cuccioli performed scenes from Williams’ plays at one The direction and curation of the museum was lead by Karen of the events in Clarksdale, and the Atlantic Theater Company in Kohlhaas, a New York based theater director and a founding New York donated space for several New York fundraisers, member of New York’s Atlantic Theater Company. Kohlhaas first including one with actor Austin Pendleton who knew and worked came to Clarksdale in 2008 to attend the Barefoot documentary with Williams. workshops and was excited to learn of Clarksdale’s Tennessee The museum is also made possible by donations from Williams history. She has been working on a documentary film on numerous Clarksdale and Mississippi residents, theater artists, Williams in the Mississippi Delta for the last several years. educators, and students in New York and around the country, the “I am thrilled to open the Tennessee Williams Rectory Museum Tennessee Williams’ estate, and the University of the South at in the bedrooms once occupied by Williams and his family at the Sewanee, Tennessee. (Erica Eason Hall) former rectory of St. George’s Episcopal Church,” says Kohlhaas. “This was an effort by many.” Tennessee Williams Rectory Museum, 106 Sharkey Avenue, Clarksdale, tennesseewilliamsrectorymuseum.com, www.deltawilliamsfestival.com Local fundraisers were held to help with the cost of renovations

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BOOKS

Waiting for Eden by Elliot Ackerman (Alfred A. Knopf) Immediately engrossing, Waiting for Eden by Elliot Ackerman is a powerful read. Ackerman, a Marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, brings his experiential knowledge to this short novel full of sparse, beautiful language and complete, complex characters. Eden, a veteran who was burned beyond recognition in an explosion during service in Iraq, has been comatose for years, and his wife, Mary, has hardly left his side. On Christmas, she decides to visit her mother and daughter, and Eden revives in her absence. What makes this story special is its omniscient narrator, Eden’s friend who was killed in the same explosion. The ghostly presence supplies a heartbreaking breadth of viewpoint to the reader and also plays an important role in the story. Waiting for Eden is a haunting novel that questions what it means to be in love and to be alive. (Liza Jones)

Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon (Simon & Schuster) Kiese Laymon is a fearlessly honest essayist, and he brings his sense of raw introspection to his eye-opening memoir, Heavy. From his black boyhood in Jackson, Mississippi to becoming a professor in New York, the reader bears witness to African American identity, poverty, education, secrets, oppression, racism, abuse, art, and body image issues through the lens of his rich experience. Written to his mother, it’s also a study of his relationship with her, and this form of narrative is powerfully personal, placing the reader right in the middle of a complicated, fearful, and loving relationship. How can we move forward without looking at the past, without expressing truthfully all that’s been done, in relationships and in this country? All must be revealed and discussed in the light, and Laymon has bravely spoken to become a voice in a necessary conversation. (Liza Jones)

Buzzworthy Comments

Elliot Ackerman

We asked Facebook friends and Delta Magazine Fan Page Group members to list the book they have read more than once. o Leslie Smith Shellman, Technical Advisor Lantana, Texas

Heaven is For Real because it really does show the innocence of children. o Nicole Bryan, Court Administrator Philadelphia, Mississippi

In the Sanctuary of Outcasts by Neil White. This book shines the light on a group of people who are outcasts due to a physical disease while incarcerated with people who are outcasts by choice (crime). Kiese Laymon

o Scott Hollis, Attorney Olive Branch, Mississippi

These Truths: A History of the United States by Jill Lepore (W. W. Norton & Company ) Is it possible to put the entire history of the United States into one volume? Jill Lepore has answered that question in These Truths: A History of the United States. In this book, she surveys everything in this country’s past from Columbus to Trump. Lepore skillfully builds context so that the American story, in all of its beauty and ugliness, stands completely naked and total for the modern American. It’s so insightful and enlightening that it’s hard to put down, even though we may already know much of this story, and we certainly know how the book ends. As one of the best historians alive, Lepore writes clearly with a focused eloquence, and it’s not too heavy with quotes from other sources. History lovers should not miss this massive book that shows the full story arc of how we arrived at today’s American climate. (Liza Jones)

1776 by David McCollough. Because it is frightening how close we were to losing… frequently. It is also exceptionally well written and insightful. o Katie Huff, Student Lexa, Arkansas

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle NcNamara. It’s an in depth look at one of the most prolific serial killers in California from the 70s who wasn’t caught until many years later. It is a compelling read that draws you in from page one. Jill Lepore

For the Record Books Delta Magazine fans are currently reading o Melanie Lynn Addington Heavy by Kiese Laymon

o Anna Tyner

We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter

o Cathy Livingston Owen The Reckoning by John Grisham

o Carolyn Sisk

Whiskey When We’re Dry by Jack Larison 30 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

o Suzanne Smith Barnette Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

o Wade Wineman Rising Tide by John Barry

o Sherri Cleveland Let’s Just Say it Wasn’t Pretty by Diane Keaton

o Susie Campbell Hedgepeth Gently Scattered Intentions by Laurie Parker

o Jean Ferguson Carpenter The Traveler’s Summit by Andy Andrews

o Beth Ferretti McCarville Dust in the Road by Hank Burdine

o Danielle Cox Morgan Congratulations, Who Are You Again by Harrison Scott Key

o Beth Henderson Stevens Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

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The Old Pro Turkey Hunter by Gene Nunnery (University Press) During his life, Gene Nunnery was recognized as a master turkey hunter and an artisan who crafted unique, almost irresistible, turkey calls. In The Old Pro Turkey Hunter, the vaunted sportsman shares over fifty years of personal experience in Mississippi and surrounding states, along with the decades-old wisdom of the huntsmen who taught him. Throughout the book, his stories make clear that turkey hunting is more than just killing the bird—it is about matching wits with a wild and savvy adversary. Through his stories, Nunnery reveals the true reward for successful turkey hunting lies in winning the contest, not necessarily exterminating the foe. Real sportsmen know that every now and then the turkey should and will elude the hunter. As Nunnery looks back on his extensive career, he analyzes vast differences in practice, old and new. The shift, he decides, came during his last twenty years on the hunt, and that difference has only increased in the decades since this book was originally published. Michael O. Giles, Bass Pro staff team member, master turkey hunter, and award-winning outdoors author of Passion of the Wild, writes a new foreword that brings the practice of turkey hunting into the present day. Filled with a tested mixture of common sense and specific examples of how master turkey hunters honor their harvest and heritage, The Old Pro Turkey Hunter is the perfect companion for the novice or the adept. (Special/DM Staff)

The Reckoning, by John Grisham (Penguin Random House) Pete Banning was Clanton, Mississippi’s favorite son—a decorated World War II hero, the patriarch of a prominent family, a farmer, father, neighbor, and a faithful member of the Methodist church. Then one cool October morning he rose early, drove into town, walked into the church, and calmly shot and killed his pastor and friend, the Reverend Dexter Bell. As if the murder weren’t shocking enough, it was even more baffling that Pete’s only statement about it—to the sheriff, to his lawyers, to the judge, to the jury, and to his family—was: “I have nothing to say.” He was not afraid of death and was willing to take his motive to the grave. In a major novel unlike anything he has written before, John Grisham takes us on an incredible journey, from the Jim Crow South to the jungles of the Philippines during World War II; from an insane asylum filled with secrets to the Clanton courtroom where Pete’s defense attorney tries desperately to save him. Reminiscent of the finest tradition of Southern Gothic storytelling,The Reckoning would not be complete without Grisham’s signature layers of legal suspense, and he delivers on every page. (Special/DM Staff) A Tender Force by Melissa Joseph (Konstellation Press) A Tender Force is a volume of one hundred powerful and moving poems by Melissa Joseph covering topics of tenderness, suffering, connection, sensuality, doubt, disconnection, sensibility, insight, becoming, darkness, infatuation and ordinary things. Each poem in this collection is an exquisite and wellcrafted facet of life. There is much wisdom to be found here. (Special/DM Staff) DM DELTA MAGAZINE 2019

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RHODES. FULBRIGHT. TRUMAN. GOLDWA WA ATER TER. COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FFAME. AME. In the past three years, Millsaps College has claimed all five with two Rhodes Scholars, four Fulbright Scholars, a T Truman ruman Scholar, a Goldwater Scholar, and a College F Foootball Hall of F Fame ame inductee. inductee WHICH ONE WILL Y YOU OU EARN?

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ART

Tommy Walton This Moon Lake artist has a broad spectrum of talent BY SUSAN MARQUEZ

he scope of diversity in Tommy Walton’s work speaks to his lifelong artistic streak. “I started drawing at an

early age and still have pictures my grandmother saved from my childhood. I was that kid in grade school who didn’t do what I was told because instead I was drawing,” he laughs. 38 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

AUSTIN BRITT

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Realizing he had talent, his mother paid for Walton to take art lessons from Meg Agostinelli in Lyon, Mississippi. “She was a watercolorist, so that’s what she taught me. That was my first and only art lesson outside of school.” He continued to take art classes every year of school except his senior year, when school officials told him he had enough art classes. One of his junior high art teachers, Lester Hardmon, was especially influential in Walton’s life. “He also painted in watercolors, and sold a lot of his art on the side.” Harmon’s example showed him that his

hobby could become lucrative. Inspired by this, Walton began selling paintings in the local doctor’s office. He smiles remembering that he bought his first Nintendo with the money he made from selling those paintings. “My art hung in that office for several years.” After graduating from Clarksdale High School, Walton went to work in the construction field. Even on the job, he has been able to exercise his creative muscle through building beautiful staircases and such. While he didn’t pursue art full time, he continued to dabble in it. “I am an artist DELTA MAGAZINE 2019

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AUSTIN BRITT

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and painter, and I can work in watercolor, oil and acrylic,” he says. “My art began to take a different direction, into metal work and fabrication.” Walton says he wanted to learn how to weld, so he bought the equipment and taught himself. He continued to buy more equipment to cut and weld, learning how to create ornamental iron. “It’s something that just comes easy to me. I love creating with my hands. They are always dirty and beat up.” Walton began working with wood, building furniture. “I love mixing wood and metal together. That combination is just really exciting to me.” He noticed people using cedar slabs to create tables and decided he wanted to give it a try. “I work in construction, so I often have access to trees when land is being cleared. People also call me when they have a special tree that needs to be cut down due to disease or other reasons.” Walton says he has even pulled sinker cypress from the bottom of Moon Lake, where he lives. “That’s really hard to do.” Proving necessity is the mother of invention, the creative side of Walton kicked in again when he realized some of the logs were longer than the standard equipment available. So, he built his own band saw from scratch inpired by “a conglomeration of ideas I found on the Internet.” His creation was a 40 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

AUSTIN BRITT

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success, and he is now able to cut long slabs of wood to use for the tables, countertops and bars he builds. “I built a bar top for a portable bar at the Shack Up Inn and it works so well they say they may want another one.” Walton’s creativity can be seen in wrought iron gates where he enjoys the free reign he has to be creative. “I’m kind of all over the place. I got into portraits for a while, and did well with that. I learned to paint faces by studying photographs. But what I really enjoy painting is landscapes and magnolias. I like painting any kind of flower, really, but there’s something about painting magnolias. I could paint them all day long. I just love them.” All of Walton’s painting is done in a small studio area that is set up in his home at Moon Crossing, in the Moon Lake community, located just north of Clarksdale. “I was born and raised here, and ran the roads here when I was young,” he laughs. “I tell people I’m from Clarksdale, because they know where that is, but I’m a proud resident of Moon Lake.” He welds and does his wood working in his shop across the street from his home. And when he’s not working and creating art, Walton enjoys spending time with his two sons, McCully, age thirteen, and Jack, age ten. Walton’s work can be seen around Clarksdale in places like the Hooker Hotel, Squeezebox and many of the local blues establishments, where his custom-made sinker cypress headboards, coffee tables as well as his artwork can be found. “There are also a lot of my paintings of musicians like Ray Charles, John Lee Hooker, and several local musicians.” Much of Walton’s work is by commission, and he enjoys creating custom pieces for folks. DM

318 Howard St reet • Greenwood, Mississippi 662.453.2114 • thealluvian.com

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MUSIC

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PAUL ABRAHAM

Lynyrd Skynyrd and a life of rock & roll BY SUSAN MARQUEZ • PHOTOGRAPHY BY RORY DOYLE

ow does a kid from the Delta end up traveling around the country and abroad with internationallyknown musicians? Paul Abraham tells how he did

that, and much more, in his newly-published memoir e Gospel According to Abraham: From Delta Boy to Tour Manager. “I had a lot of stories, and people kept telling me, ‘Paul, you ought to write a book,’ so I did.” Abraham grew up in Leland where his father, Miller Abraham, owned a radio station. “One of his ad reps in Memphis asked my dad if he wanted tickets to go see a new group that was playing in Memphis. e year was 1966 and the group was e Beatles. My dad said sure and he got a whole row of tickets. I think they were about $5 each. My dad took me and my friends to see the concert.” Seeing the crowds respond the way they did was exciting to Abraham, and that started his interest in music promotion. “I attended Mississippi State one year, and excelled in partying, so I transferred to Morehead and worked selling ads for my dad’s radio station. My brother, Carl, also worked for my dad. I decided to move to Atlanta to pursue the promotion end of music.” In March 1974, Abraham went to a club in Atlanta called Funochio’s. A band was playing that really caught his attention. “e lead singer was singing songs about me! Or at least, songs I could relate to, about growing up in the South. I went out the next day and bought their album.” at album was

called Pronounced Leh-nerd Skin-nerd. e band, of course, was Lynyrd Skynyrd, and the album featured the iconic Skynyrd song Freebird. “I called my brother and said we have to book this band in Cleveland!” e brothers tried booking the band in the Walter Sillers Coliseum, but it was too expensive. “We ended up securing the Bolivar County Expo Center,” says Abraham. “We put 40’ flatbed trailers side-by-side for a stage. Rockn-Roll Audio out of Memphis ran the sound and they ended up being our permanent production company. We were so green, we had no idea what we were doing. We put out signs around town to promote the show and sold tickets for $5 each. We ended up making good money. It was one of the craziest experiences of my life!” Lynyrd Skynyrd had just finished opening for e Who on their Quadrophenia tour, and the new Skynyrd album was getting good airplay. e band had a day off after the Cleveland concert and decided to hang around the area. “ey got hotel rooms in Greenville and we all went to One Block East. We became, and remained, good friends and we all saw each other whenever they were close by.” e Abraham brothers booked a few more shows, including Freddie King and Wet Willie. “e Freddie King show was great,” says Abraham. “But the Wet Willie show was a bust. ey didn’t like the stage. It was good enough for Lynyrd Skynyrd, but they said no. We had to refund all those tickets.”

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Left to right: Johnny Van Zant, Paul, Gary Rossington and Herman Fillingane

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Abraham admits he was a “bad boy” back then, and did some things that earned him some time behind bars. After the 1977 plane crash near McComb that took the lives of Lynyrd Skynyrd front man Ronnie Van Zant along with ﬁve others, Abraham said he felt lost, unable to be there for his surviving friends in the band. Abraham got married in 1981 and he and his wife moved to Colorado in 1983. “I had been talking with Billy Powell, the keyboard player for Lynyrd Skynyrd, and he told me that Gary Rossington, the founder of the band was living in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. My wife and I took a little road trip and looked him up in the phone book. We called and his wife said he was at the grocery store. ere weren’t many stores in Jackson Hole, so we found the grocery store and then we found Gary around the frozen foods. e ﬁrst thing he asked me was “where is your brother?” He expected us to be together. In 1985, Rossington told Abraham that several promoters wanted him to do a tribute tour for the tenth anniversary of the crash. At the time, Rossington had a band called the Rossington Band that played at the Hard Rock in Dallas along with Boz Scaggs. ey also opened for Kansas at the Fox eatre in Atlanta. Billy Powell asked Rossington about doing a small thirty-two city tour and he agreed. ey asked Abraham to run security for the show, and within six weeks they asked him to be the tour manager. “Well, that tour came and went, and ten years later, we were still on the road. I had a great time. Standing on the side of the stage and seeing the audience full of tattooed good ol’ boys and gals was really very emotional. ey were selling out arenas. I loved seeing the fans jump up and down and sing along with every song. Lynyrd Skynyrd was a people’s band. ey played music and they played the crowd, just like Ronnie Van Zant taught them to do.” After leaving Lynyrd Skynyrd, Abraham worked with musician Michael Peterson for a year, then Ed King, the guitar player and songwriter for Lynyrd Skynyrd who co-wrote “Sweet Home Alabama” called. “He said that Billy Ray Cyrus was looking for a tour manager. I wasn’t so sure about it, but Ed convinced me to talk with him. I did and ended up touring with him for a dozen

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Left to right: Mike Lewis, Ed King, Kurt Custer and his wife Nicki Paul.

Left to right: George (Kimono shop owner, Kurt Custer, Johnny Van Zant, Paul, and Craig Reed.

years.” ose years included the young years of singer Mylie Cyrus. “When she was five years old she’d get up on stage with her dad and sing. Even then, she had perfect pitch and a strong stage presence. I knew that kid was destined to be a star!” After leaving the road in 2010, Abraham began jotting down memories of his time as a tour manager and all the crazy stuff they did on the road. “I thought I might be on to something but had no idea how to proceed, so I went to Facebook and posted that I needed help. I asked if anyone could recommend a ghost writer so I could get those ghosts out of my head. In no time I heard from a publisher in Georgia. I sent her the first ten pages and she said she was ‘enthralled.’” He also wrote of his memories growing up in Leland. “I wrote about all the crazy things we had to invent to entertain ourselves, because there was nothing to do!” Abraham’s book is authentic and honest. “I didn’t hold anything back. I told the good, the bad and the ugly, which is why I call it e Gospel of Abraham. It’s the story of my life and the people I’ve met along the way.” e book has been selling well at area bookstores and on Amazon. Abraham lives in Scott, not far from Cleveland, and spends his time attending book signings and readings. “I have spoken at Rotary Clubs, Lions Clubs and at Chamber of Commerce meetings,” he says. “It’s been fun meeting so many people who seem interested in my story.” Abraham says that folks can also contact him on Facebook to buy the book and he’ll send a signed copy. In addition to rock music, Abraham says his Delta roots have given him a love for the Blues as well. “I have worked with Son omas and Sam Chapman, who are the real deal when it comes to Blues. I’m also a judge for the International Blues challenge at the Blue Biscuit in Indianola.” It’s been a wild ride for Abraham, who says he wouldn’t have done anything differently. “I’ve had a great career and lots of wonderful memories. I hope folks enjoy reading about them in my book.” DM

Paul, band friend Ronnie Watson and Johnny Van Zant.

Paul and Skynyrd piano player Billy Powell in Japan.

Skynard meets Dale Earnhardt. DELtA MAGAzInE 2019

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2019 Delta Magazine’s

Annual Tourism Guide

It’s no secret the Mississippi Delta is credited as being the birth place of American music, and it is a

magnet for music lovers from all walks of life. The Delta does not disappoint with opportunities to hear abundant live music in our network of small towns. Our 2019 Tourism Guide shares some of these local hot spots where the music is live, and the authentic sounds of the Delta can be heard. Study our Spring Festival Calendar, and if you attend one in Clarksdale, book a room at one of the many funky places you will read about. Our Delta Detours and Tourism advertising section offers up even more cool things to do in towns across the region. Then, if you want to venture a little further north, spend a weekend rediscovering Memphis! It is revitalized, refurbished and offers an incredible array of new things to do, see, eat and drink!

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✓ LIVE MUSIC HOT SPOTS ✓ 2019 SPRING FESTIVAL CALENDAR ✓ DELTA DETOURS & SPECIAL TOURISM ADVERTISING ✓ COOL DIGS IN CLARKSDALE

✓ REDISCOVER MEMPHIS

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Live music HOT SPOTS

✓ Cleveland

TO CHECK OFF YOUR LIST

Hey Joe’s

Hey Joe’s is a community favorite and has become a noted Delta venue for alternative and original music. Since 2009, Hey Joe’s has remained committed to these three day-to-day constants: quality food, craft beer, and original live music. Popular with young professionals, local Teach For America Transplants (who bring an eclectic vibe) and the college crowd, Hey Joe’s is known to feature artists with an indie/folksy vibe and has even helped launch several bands into popularity such as, The Weeks. Bands from all genres have taken the stage at this eccentric, hip establishment. Check out their huge covered patio and balcony or chill inside on Trivia night. Business hours are listed as 11 am to 9 pm, Monday through Saturday. Visit their website for a schedule of live music and events. 118 East Sunflower Road, Cleveland (662) 843-5425 eatheyjoes.com

Airport Grocery

Just north of the city limits of Cleveland, this local dive, reminiscent of a country store and ﬁlled with antiques, collectibles and a homey atmosphere is hopping with local live music most weekends. Boasting a full bar and a menu loaded with mouthwatering food of all kinds including fantastic barbeque, Airport delivers the whole package to locals and travelers passing through. Open Monday through Saturday from 11 am to 10 pm and Sunday from 5 pm to 9 pm. 3608 Highway 61 N, Cleveland (662) 843-4817 airport gocery.net

In 2017, total TRAVEL and TOURISM expenditures for the Delta region reached $809,903,364.

– Mississippi Tourism Economic Impact Report DELTA MAGAZINE 2019

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The Bologna Performing Arts Center (BPAC)

One of the premier theaters in the southeast, the Bologna Performing Arts Center offers a wide array of entertainment, music and broadway shows. Located on the Delta State University campus, this stunning state-of-theart venue presents seasonal line up that rivals any big-city theater. The facility was also built to offer a rich tapestry of cultural and educational programs to serve the entire Mississippi Delta. Under the direction of Laura Howell, the 2018-2019 season boasted Boz Scaggs, Kinky Boots, and the Beach Boys. So be sure to check this one out! 1003 West Sunflower Road, Cleveland (662) 846-4625 bolognapac.com/ticket-events/events/

GRAMMY Museum® Mississippi

The GRAMMY Museum® Mississippi is one of only two in existence. Experience the Museum’s fabulous exhibits, which have featured musical acts including, Taylor Swift, The Beatles, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and The Supremes or enter the Sanders Sound stage

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for an intimate music experience with local artists as well as notable performers, that have included Peter Frampton, Elvis’s guitarist James Burton, Tony Joe White, and Roger Fisher of Heart. To find out who is playing next, visit their website. 800 West Sunflower Road, Cleveland (662) 441-0100 grammymuseumms.org

✓Merigold Crawdad’s

Live music pulls in a crowd every weekend at this popular venue. People from all over enjoy not only the entertainment but some of the best steak and seafood in the area. Crawdad`s is a regional mainstay in the iconic small town of Merigold, home of McCarty pottery. There is plenty of seating, private nooks, and a popular bar area. The recently expanded porch provides private venue space as well. 104 South Park Street, Merigold (662) 748-2441 crawdadsms.com

✓ Clarksdale

Ground Zero Blues Club

Showcasing the best of today’s Delta Blues musicians, visitors to Ground Zero will find the “real deal” musicians who live in the Mississippi Delta and continue in the tradition of their musical forefathers. Although GZBC, co-owned by local attorney and businessman, Bill Luckett and Academy Award-winning actor and Mississippi Delta resident, Morgan Freeman, has received significant national media coverage and recognition as one of the top Live Music Clubs in the nation and world, it remains a local favorite and has not lost its small-town vibe. With a full bar and a “down home” menu featuring juicy hamburgers, fried catfish and slow-cooked pork barbecue, Ground Zero has it all. Be sure to join the thousands and sign your name on the wall, furniture or bathroom stall before the night is over! 387 Delta Avenue, Clarksdale (662) 621-9009 groundzerobluesclub.com

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Crawdad’s

Ground Zero Blues Club

Ground Zero was ranked one of the top three best LIVE Music Clubs in the world by Celebrated Living Magazine Red’s Blues Club

Described as a lounge, dance and night club, Red’s is located in Clarksdale in the original Levine’s Music Center building, where Ike Turner and his Kings of Rhythm once played. Red’s is a MUST for any serious blues lover traveling through the Mississippi Delta. This intimate juke features regular live music on Wednesdays at 8 pm, Friday and Saturday at 9 pm, Sunday at 7 pm, and occasionally on Thursdays. For a small cover charge (cash only) enjoy authentic blues music, and grab a beer, (but BYO spirits and wine) and if you’re lucky they may be grilling some BBQ which is sold street-side. 395 Sunflower Avenue, Clarksdale (662) 627-3166 jukejointfestival.com/venues.php

Levon’s

The dining and drinking experience at Levon’s could easily fit into the New Orleans scene. With a varied menu and impressive craft cocktails, Levon’s is truly a dining destination. Add to that live music several nights of the week and their ever poplar “Sunday Ramble” which has fast become the place to be for locals and visitors

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The Juke Joint Chapel (Shack Up Inn)

alike, especially when weather permits. Customers enjoy live music while mingling both inside and out with friends. 232 Sunflower Avenue, Clarksdale (662) 302-6474 levons.net

Hopson’s Commissary

Uniquely housed in an old plantation commissary east of Clarksdale, Hopson’s is a time capsule ﬁlled with antiques and artifacts that showcases the nostalgia and history of the area. Hopson’s has been a favorite on the Delta music scene for years and offers a Monday evening, acoustic, “comin’-down-

Commissary Circle Road, Clarksdale (662) 624-5756 hopsonplantation.com

something to see. The cavernous structure with vaulted ceilings is a visual treat, full of eclectic and funky art and unusual relics including a huge model of an old airplane which hangs upside down over the main stage. There is a long list of notable musicians who have played at the chapel including Elvis Costello, Robert Plant and Tom Waits, but whether you love Blues or Americana music, this is your place. Live music is typically Friday and Saturday at 7 pm during dinner but can vary throughout the week with unexpected musicians.

The Juke Joint Chapel (Shack Up Inn)

1 Commissary Circle, Clarksdale (662) 624-8329 shackupinn.com

easy” from the weekend, musical experience thanks to local musicians such as Marshall Drew, Gramm Phillips and Seth Stroud beginning at 6 pm. This is often accompanied by a delicious pot of “something” owners James and Cathy Butler have whipped up. A favorite party venue, there is also often live music on Fridays and Saturdays.

On the premises of the legendary Shack Up Inn sits the Juke Joint Chapel. A magnet for blues and roots music fans, one will ﬁnd a laid back restaurant along with authentic live entertainment. This former cotton gin is

Juke on down in the Delta

✓ Bentonia

The Blue Front Café

Considered the oldest active juke joint in Mississippi, this authentic Mississippi Delta “juke joint” is where the world-famous original Bentonia Blues was born and can still be heard. The cafe’ was opened in 1948 by Carey and Mary Holmes, an African American couple from Bentonia. Their son, blues musician Jimmy “Duck” Holmes, runs the historic venue to this day and now there is a Mississippi Blues Trail Marker out front. This laid-back casual blues endeavor is an essential part of the Mississippi Blues trail. 107 East Railroad Avenue, Bentonia (662) 763-5306 @bluefrontcafe blues • visityazoo.org

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✓ Indianola The Blue Biscuit

Located right across the street from the BB King Blues Museum in Indianola, The Blue Biscuit and Blue Biscuit Bungalows are also in the middle of Indianola’s Historic District and within an hour of more than two dozen important blues and cultural sites. Try their burgers, poboys, fried green tomatoes and other casual dishes while you enjoy live music on selected nights. 501 Second Street, Indianola (662) 645-0258 thebluebiscuit.com

✓ Greenville

Walnut Street Blues Bar

If you’re looking for a vibrant nightlife in the heart of Greenville, you can’t miss the Walnut Street Blues Bar. This popular late night venue has live music music most nights and has become a well-known attraction to those of the local vicinity as well as traveling lovers of the blues and great food.

In 2018, Clarksdale was named the #1 music city outside of Nashville in the U.S. by Fodor’s Travel.

128 S. Walnut Street, Greenville (662) 378-2254 @walnutstreetbluesbar • highway61blues.com

Stay up to date on live music, venues and schedules with these websites: deltabohemian.com cathead.biz/music-calendar msbluestrail.org/calendar visitmississippi.org/blog/events-festivals visitthedelta.com/music DELTA MAGAZINE 2019

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✓ Other cool tunes:

Get your country, blue-grass and Americana fix Tuesday nights at Grover’s Corner in Cleveland. Local pickers converge there for a foot-stomping good time. 101 South Sharpe Avenue

Have a little live music with your brunch at the Third Street Bistro, Clarksdale’s new bistro that is receiving rave reviews for it’s fab menu. 216 3rd Street, Clarksdale (662) 313-8010 • @3rdstreetbistro

Check out the lobby of The Alluvian Hotel in Greenwood for a sophisticated vibe and occasional perfomances by local pianists and vocalists. 318 Howard Street, Greenwood (662) 453-2114 • thealluvian.com

Friday nights at the Delta Meat Market in Cleveland have become a weekly tradition for locals. Soak up the sounds of area musicians of all genres and ages in a friendly pub-like setting. Enjoy chef Cole Ellis’s special creations while you’re there! 118 North Sharpe Avenue, Cleveland (662) 444-6328 • deltameatmarket.com

CASINO’S ALONG THE RIVER

Roll the dice, grab a bite and catch a show at one of the Delta’s Casinos which flank the River. National acts and musicians from all over regularly perform at these concert venues which also have excellent accommodations. For more information go to their websites: Goldstrike — goldstrike.com

Hollywood — hollywoodcasinotunica.com Resorts — resortstunica.com

Roadhouse — caesars.com/tunica-roadhouse Sam’s Town — samstowntunica.com Fitz — fitzgeraldstunica.com

1st jackpot — 1stjackpot.com

Trop Casino — tropgreenville.com

Harlows Casino — harlowscasino.com

Riverwalk Casino — riverwalkvicksburg.com

Ameristar Casino — vicksburg.ameristar.com Lady Luck Casino — ladyluckvicksburg.com

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Spring and Early Summer Calendar JANUARY 13-20 19 24-27 25-26 26

Jackson Indie Music Week, Jackson, jxnindiemusic.com Beans, Greens & Cornbread Cook-off, Helena, Arkansas, info@deltaculturalcenter.org Oxford Fiber Arts Festival, Oxford, oxfordarts.com/events/fiberfest Clarksdale Film & Music Festival, Clarksdale, clarksdalefilmfestival.com Mississippi Blues Marathon, Jackson, msbluesmarathon.events

FEBRUARY

9 Mississippi River Marathon, Greenville, msrivermarathon.racesonline.com 6-10 Oxford Film Festival, Oxford, oxfordfilmfest.com February 28-March 2 Magnolia Independent Film Festival, Starkville, magnoliafilmfest.com

MARCH

23 Viking Half-Marathon and 5K, Greenwood, vikinghalfmarathon.racesonline.com March 16-April 19 Natchez Spring Pilgrimage, Natchez, natchezpilgrimage.com March 28-April 6 Columbus Spring Pilgrimage, Columbus, visitcolumbusms.org

APRIL

5-7 6 6-7 11-14 13 13 13 14 26-27 27 TBA

MAY

2-5 4 4 10-11 11 May 31-June 2

Tour of Historic Homes, Holly Springs, hollyspringsmsgardenclub.com World Catfish Festival, Belzoni, belzonims.com Ridgeland Fine Arts Festival, Ridgeland, ridgelandartsfest.com Juke Joint Festival, Clarksdale, jukejointfestival.com Crosstie Arts and Jazz Festival, Cleveland, crosstiefestival.com Cotton District Arts Festival, Starkville, cdafestival.com Palmer Home for Children’s Mudbug Bash, Hernando, plamerhome.org Cat Head Mini Blues Fest, Clarksdale, cathead.biz Double Decker Arts and Music, Oxford, doubledeckerfestival.com Natchez Trace Festival, Kosciusko, kosytrace.com Belmont, Bluegrass & BBQ Festival, Wayside, belmontplantation1857.com Bones Fest XXIII (Shack Up Inn), Clarksdale, rhythmbones.com/nextFest Deep Delta Blues Festival, Rolling Fork, lowerdelta.org The Leland Crawfish Festival & Blues & Brews, Leland, lelandchamber.com Riverfest Music and Arts Festival, Vicksburg, riverfestms.com Clarksdale Caravan Music Fest, Clarksdale, blues2rock.com Goat Fest VI (heavy blues), Clarksdale, shackupinn.com

JUNE

2 Blue Bisquit Festival, Indianola, thebluebisquit.com 6-9 Steve Azar Delta Soul & Celebrity Golf Event, Greenville, steveazarsaintceciliafoundation.org 11-14 Pinetop Perkins Foundation Masterclass Workshop Experience, Clarksdale, pinetopperkinsfoundation.org 16 Bentonia Blues Festival, Bentonia, facebook.com/BentoniaBluesFestival TBA Snake Grabbin’ Rodeo, Greenville, Lake Washington, facebook.com/mississippisnakegrabbers TBA Warfield River Fest & BBQ Competition, Greenville, warfieldriverfest.com TBA Delta Jubilee (local carnival), Clarksdale, clarksdale-ms.com

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VICKSBURG

Vicksburg National Military Park

McRaven Tour Home

Established on February 21, 1899 to commemorate the siege and defense of Vicksburg, the 16-mile tour road of the park includes 1,325 historic monuments and markers, 20 miles of historic trenches and earthworks, a 12.5-mile walking trail, 144 emplaced cannons, a national cemetery, an ironclad Union gunboat, and two antebellum homes.

Named the “most haunted house in Mississippi” and the “third most haunted house in the United States,” McRaven has a haunted history of over 160 years. Popular for being built in three different periods, National Geographic called it the “Time Capsule of the South.”

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Downtown Vicksburg Catfish Row David Cohn wrote that “the Mississippi Delta begins in the lobby of the Peabody Hotel in Memphis and ends on Catfish Row in Vicksburg.” Today’s Catfish Row features a children’s art park and splash fountain, riverfront murals, museums, the Levee Street Marketplace and LD’s Kitchen—Vicksburg’s home to great catfish and Tuesday night blues.

Stroll the brick-paved streets of our historic downtown and visit our boutique and antique gift shops, art galleries and fantastic dining. Experience one of the Great American Main Street Association’s Top 10 Main Streets in the USA in downtown Vicksburg—Simply. Uniquely. Southern.

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Vicksburg’s newest restaurant, 10 South Rooftop Bar & Grill, overlooks our beautiful historic downtown with spectacular views of the Mississippi River, Yazoo Diversion Canal and Centennial Lake. The area’s only “open air” grill with a full bar features specialty burgers, barbecue, seafood and other Southern specialties.

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YAZOO

Main Street Yazoo City

Glenwood Cemetery

Yazoo City’s historic Main Street was once on the verge of becoming a ghost town. Today, we are glad to say that historic Main Street is not only surviving but thriving! Come Shop, Eat, & Stay on historic Main Street in Yazoo City.

Author and Editor Willie Morris is buried 13 paces to the South of the grave of the "Witch of Yazoo" whose Legend he made famous in his novel Good Old Boy. Willie, who grew up in Yazoo City, wrote two novels about his boyhood that have been made into movies. Glenwood is the second “Spookiest Cemetery in the US” according to a 2012 Huffington Post poll.

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Blue Front Cafe Owned and operated by blues man Jimmy "Duck" Holmes, this is the authentic Mississippi Delta “juke joint” where the world-famous original Bentonia Blues was born and can still be heard. The Blue Front Cafe, located in the town of Bentonia in southern Yazoo County, is considered the oldest active juke joint in Mississippi.

Yazoo Restaurants The culinary culture of Yazoo County is as varied and as notable as her land and people. Yazoo County is home to producers of fine foods and treats found and recognized worldwide. With over 30 locally-owned restaurants and eateries, you are sure to find something to satisfy every craving.

Historic Yazoo Known as the “largest single area” to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places, comprising both residential and commercial areas, the Yazoo City Town Center Historic District can be viewed on a self-guided Walking or Driving Tour of homes or churches. This Old House Magazine selected the area as one of their “Best Old House Neighborhoods” in 2012 for its many 19th- and 20th-century examples of Queen Anne cottages, Greek Revivals, and Colonial Revivals.

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BATESVILLE

Batesville Main Street

Panola Playhouse

We invite you to visit downtown Batesville to enjoy the shopping with our local merchants, to attend the various special events – and to rediscover a warm and welcoming way of life.

Batesville Mounds

The Panola Playhouse, founded in 1962, is one of the longest, continually-running, live theatres in the state of Mississippi. This unique, 120 seat theatre has been host to hundreds of wonderful performances over the last fifty-two years. The Panola Playhouse season includes comedies, dramas, musicals, and children’s shows.

A journey of time & nature: Step into the Past - Take a Tour • View Native American Mounds from the Woodland Period • Trek wilderness trails in the historic Mississippi Delta region • Watch for birds, butterflies, deer, and all of nature’s creatures • Watch for trains on the Grenada Railway • Take photos, learn, exercise, write, rest, reflect, & create memories

Como Steakhouse Our Delta is known for its steakhouses, but for a tender, charcoal grilled steak of serious proportion, there’s only the Como Steakhouse.

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Crowder Duck Hunting

Sardis Lake Sardis Lake is known as the nation’s premier crappie fishing lake, but the bass fishing draws amateur and professional anglers from miles around. Most folks around here also know to enjoy the camping, picnicking, water sports and family fun. Stop by the Sardis Marina. If you don’t own, we rent!

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Golfers have Augusta. Duck hunters have Crowder. If you're lucky, you might know somebody that knows somebody, and we hope you do!

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NATCHEZ

The Natchez Literary & Cinema Celebration

800-647-6724 • www.visitnatchez.org

February 21–23: The Natchez Literary & Cinema Celebration 30th Anniversary symposium will feature literary, historic, and cultural links along the Great River Road at the Natchez Convention Center. Most events are free and open to the public. Additional ticketed events and tours are also available. Contact nlcc@colin.edu or 601446-1208 for more information.

Natchez DELTA DETOURS Spring Pilgrimage 2019

Fabulous Tours, Events and Festivities

Spring Pilgrimage

NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC

May 5–25: Natchez Festival of Music presents musical programs for every musical taste. The 2019 edition, “A Season of Peace and Music,” commemorates the 50th anniversary of Woodstock. Opening with country swing band Asleep at the Wheel, the festival features events from Stephen Sondheim’s A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, to Puccini’s masterpiece La Boheme. For a full list of events and tickets visit natchezfestivalofmusic.com

March 16–April 19: Natchez, established in 1716, high on a magnificent bluff overlooking the Mighty Mississippi, has more than 600 examples of Antebellum Architecture. During our Pilgrimage seasons more privately owned historic homes open their doors than any other time of the year. Natchez is treasured worldwide as a living museum of southern history and a hallmark of hospitality.

GRAND VILLAGE OF THE NATCHEZ INDIANS March 30-31: For thirty years, the Natchez Powwow has attracted some of the best singers, dancers and vendors to the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians to celebrate Native American culture at one of the country’s most storied mound sites. Visit www.natchezpowwow.com to learn more about this unique cultural event in Natchez.

The Natchez Museum of African American History & Culture The Natchez Museum of African American History & Culture was established in 1990 as a venue in which the rich History & Culture of the African diaspora could be examined and presented in Southwest Mississippi. Exhibitory from 15th century Africa to present day accomplishments are offered. The Museum has been recognized by the Association of African American Museums to be among the best in the nation. For additional information call 601-445-0728.

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OXFORD

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ARKSANSAS DELTA BYWAYS

The Museum of Arkansas Grand Prairie, Stuttgart Keeper of more than 10,000 artifacts, the museum depicts the history of agriculture and the pioneers who farmed the land from 1800s to 1921. Outbuildings include a one-room school house, a Lutheran church and a prairie home. Open Tues-Fri, 8-4 and Sat, 10-4, www.grandprairiemuseum.org, (870) 673-7001.

Delta Gateway Museum, Blytheville Housed in the historic Kress Building in the heart of Blytheville’s Commercial Historic District, this regional heritage museum illustrates broad historical themes in one of the world’s most fertile agricultural regions. Its mission tells the story of Blytheville and the surrounding area by interpreting the land and its impact on the people. 210 West Main Street, Tue – Fri, 1-5 and Sat 10-4, (870) 824-2346.

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Sultana Disaster Museum, Marion Lakeport Plantation, Lake Village

The museum tells the story of the Sultana, a Mississippi River sidewheel steamboat that exploded on April 27, 1865, making it the worst maritime disaster in US history. The boat was carrying 2,155 (designed for 376) when the boilers exploded and the boat sank, killing 1,192 passengers, many newly release Union prisoners. 104 Washington, Tues-Sat, 10-4 and Sun 2-4. (870) 739-6041.

Built in 1859, the house has new permanent exhibits installed in Fall 2012 based on years of research in family records, archives and oral histories. They tell the stories of the house, the restoration and the people who lived and worked at Lakeport. Mon-Fri 10-3, lakeport.astate.edu, (870) 265-6031.

Central Delta Depot Museum, Brinkley Southern Tenant Farmers Museum, Tyronza

Located in a restored 1912 railroad depot, the museum contains exhibits focusing on the 1815 Louisiana Purchase Survey, along with photographs, exhibits and an extensive record collection of Louis Jordan, famous rhythm and blues musician from Brinkley. 100 West Cypress, call for hours (870) 589-2124.

The historic Mitchell-East Building and adjacent former bank include photographs, oral histories, and artifacts focusing on the first integrated farm labor movement in the nation and the South’s farming system of agriculture. Tues-Sat, 9-3, stfm.astate.edu, (870) 487-2909.

To see these and learn more, visit our website: www.deltabyways.com, or call for a brochure, (870) 972-2803. This ad paid for with a combination of state funds and Arkansas Delta Byways regional association funds.

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LOWER DELTA PARTNERSHIP

Muddy Waters Blues Trail Marker

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Visit the birthplace of Muddy Waters, the “father of modern Chicago blues” in downtown Rolling Fork.

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Carved Bears Tour the 1 chainsaw carved bears of Rolling Fork. Another one of these incredible works of art is created each October during the Great Delta Bear Affair.

Mississippi Mound Trail Unveiled in 2016, the Mississippi Mound Trail has 6 markers in Sharkey and Issaquena counties. www.trails.mdah.ms.gov

Rolling Fork Visitors Center and Museum Artifacts from prehistoric residents may be viewed at the Rolling Fork Visitors Center and Museum.

We invite you to come meet the Delta you didn’t know, explore the stories you’ve never heard, and feel the ever-present warmth of our Deep Delta. www.lowerdelta.org 60 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

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CLEVELAND

GRAMMY ® Museum Mississippi Downtown Shopping

The Museum features permanent and traveling exhibits, contentrich interactives, and films that educate and inspire music lovers of all ages. The Museum covers the history of recorded music of all genres while showcasing Mississippi’s impact on American music.

Long ago, farmers scattered across the Delta would congregate on Cotton Row in downtown Cleveland to bring their finest harvest to market. Today this Historic Crosstie Shopping District offers a diverse array of specialty shops, antique stores, boutiques and cafés within the area. Downtown you will also find the Martin and Sue King Railroad Heritage Museum, featuring the largest O-Gauge model train in the State.

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Entertainment

Cleveland is a hotbed of activity for live music and entertainment. On any given night of the week, both local and touring artists can be found in the restaurants in the area. With venues such as the Bologna Performing Arts Center, that presents national touring productions, and the Delta Music Institute’s recording program at Delta State University, Cleveland is the place to be to get immersed in the sounds of great entertainment.

Pottery Destination Many folks make the trek to Bolivar County to visit world-famous pottery establishments McCartys Pottery of Merigold and Peter’s Pottery in Mound Bayou. While you are shopping at McCartys, visit the incredible Gardens of McCartys, as well as The Gallery lunch spot. Both Peter’s and McCartys are a must-visit to peruse the coveted pieces made from Delta clay.

www.visitclevelandms.com • (662) 843-2712

The Spirit of the Blues The early 1900s saw an influx of migrant workers in the Delta. Aspiring musicians gravitated to the Cleveland area because Charley Patton called it home. More specifically, he called Will Dockery’s Plantation home. Dockery Plantation is a fabulous place to feel the spirit of the Blues. As B.B. King famously said of Dockery, “…You might say it all started right here.” There are 18 blues markers that stretch from the Mississippi River Road Highway 1, to the Blues Highway 61. Be sure and stop by the office of the Delta Center for Culture and Learning and see the Cast of Masks featuring plaster castings of famous bluesmen and women by artist Sharon McConnell. DELTA MAGAZINE 2019

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PHILADELPHIA

Lake Pushmataha Located adjacent to Geyser Falls Water Theme Park and Clearwater Key, Lake Pushmataha offers the very best in fun and recreation. It is a 285-acre fishing lake that was constructed in 2000 and opened to the public in the summer of 2005. It offers fishing from the bank as well as handicapped-accessible piers. Picnic areas with grills are readily available, making it a popular destination for family-oriented fun and recreation. For more information, visit our website at www.choctaw.org.

Chahta Immi Cultural Center Chahta Immi Cultural Center explores the history of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians through exhibits on Choctaw Artforms. It is located in the Choctaw Shopping Center and offers a multimedia experience for visitors along with providing a cultural education for all. Visit their retail shop to purchase unique items such as baskets and beadwork and call 601-650-1687 for more information.

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Ham Jam Arts Festival The Ham Jam Arts Festival is held each April in downtown Philadelphia. Each year, thousands of visitors gather in downtown Philadelphia for this one of a kind event. It features arts and crafts vendors, kids area, a Memphis In May sanctioned BBQ contest and local entertainment. A 5K Run and Walk kicks off the festivities on Saturday morning followed by a full day of family fun.

Downtown Shopping Philadelphia is blessed with small town charm and lots of great downtown shopping. No matter what you are looking for, our local shops offer lots of great options. Be sure to check out the latest fashions or pick up that gift for a special someone while you are here.

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Williams Brothers It is a step back in time when you visit Williams Brothers in Philadelphia. It was started in 1907 as a general merchandise store and has been owned by the same family all these years. Today, you can find everything from bacon, cheese, saddles, shoes and wire all in one place. It is like no other store you will visit and offers a sense of nostalgia to anyone to stops by.

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RULEVILLE

Downtown Ruleville North Sunflower Medical Center North Sunflower Medical Center offers a wide range of services, such as, Sunflower Clinic open EVERYDAY, State-of-the-Art Surgical Center, Cardiology, Outpatient Cardiac Rehab, Inpatient & Outpatient Rehabilitation, Long Term Care, Hospice and much more. Stop by and see our beautiful memorial garden and visit our website today www.northsunflower.com for a full list of services.

Downtown Ruleville is a beautiful area to visit. Located around Rule Park downtown Ruleville offers shopping, banking, The Hollywood Museum, The Lion’s Den (an African Animal Collection), three murals, a patriotic plaza and more. Downtown Ruleville is the home of Blues Trail markers for Greasy Street and Jimmy Rogers, as well as our “Hot” & “Cold” water towers and a walking trail complete with benches and lighting for nighttime walks/runs.

Fannie Lou Hamer Memorial Garden The Great Ruleville Roast The Great Ruleville Roast is our annual fall festival organized by Ruleville Chamber of Commerce board members. The Great Ruleville Roast is always held the last full weekend in September. It starts Friday night with live entertainment, a BBQ contest kick-off and fireworks. On Saturday, there is a pancake breakfast, arts/crafts, children’s activities, a classic car show, the BBQ competition and more. The Great Ruleville Roast has grown each year and continues to be a great success for Ruleville. Come visit our small town and see why people in the Delta are saying, “Take ME To Ruleville!”

Fannie Lou Hamer Memorial Garden is a wonderful place to visit. Fannie Lou Hamer was an American voting rights activist and civil rights leader. She was instrumental in organizing Mississippi Freedom Summer for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and later became the Vice-Chair of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, attending the 1964 Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Her plain-spoken manner and fervent belief in the Biblical righteousness of her cause gained her a reputation as an electrifying speaker and constant activist of civil rights.

Greasy Street Historic Greasy Street, located in downtown Ruleville, was recognized with a marker by the Mississippi Blues Trail. This block of Front Street was supposedly nicknamed “Greasy Street” because years ago, café owners would throw old grease on the street to keep down the dust. It was the center of commercial activity for African-Americans in the area. Blues musicians would play on Saturday afternoons when the street was packed with people in town to shop and visit these downtown establishments.

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CARROLLTON

Pioneer Day Festival Pioneer Day Festival honors the founding of Carroll County in 1833 with this annual arts and crafts festival as well as educational opportunities. Held the first Saturday in October, it is part of the Pilgrimage. For information email CarrolltonMsPioneerDay@gmail.com or go to VisitCarrolltonMs.com

Visit Carrollton Visit Carrollton, Mississippi, where the past is present. Organized after the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek, the town became a bustling community that is thriving in the 21st Century. Today it is a part of the Mississippi Heritage Highway 82 which runs from Greenville to Columbus. Download the free Walking Tour of Carrollton, MS app from The App Store or Google Play. www.VisitCarrolltonMS.com or email CarrolltonMsTours@gmail.com

DELTA URS DETO

Merrill Museum

The Carrollton\ Community House

The Merrill Museum tells the story of Carroll County, from Indian days to the present. Exhibits include antique bottles, arrowheads, Joy’s Toys and family items from the John S. McCain family and author Elizabeth Spencer. Built in 1834, the Merrill Building has served as a mercantile, bank, furniture and casket factory, temporary courthouse, dry cleaners and residence. Open by appointment – 662-237-6910.

The Carrollton Community House was born out of the Great Depression and the WPA. The design of the log structure is similar to many built during that time. Unlike many of those structures, the Carrollton Community House has continued to be used and appreciated. For information about renting call Carrollton Town Hall at 662-237-4600.

Historic Churches Carrollton is home of five historic churches – Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopal, and Missionary Baptist. They are open for tours during the annual Pilgrimage, the first week in October, and for group tours by appointment.

Annual Tour of Historic Homes Historic homes in Carrollton range in date from 1828 to 1936. These family dwellings are open for tours during the annual Pilgrimage the first week in October and for group tours by appointment. www.VisitCarrolltonMS.com or email CarrolltonMsTours@gmail.com 64 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

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Go to heaven for the climate, Greenville for the festivals.

bri dgi ngt heb lue s.c

Terry “Harmonica” Bean performs on yearly occasions at the Mighty Mississippi Music Festival in Greenville, Mississippi.

» JANUARY «

YMCA Cotton Classic 10K/5K Run

» OCTOBER «

Greenville Heritage Rodeo

Greenville • racesonline.com/ymca-cotton-classic

Delta Hot Tamale Festival

Greenville • washingtoncountycc.com

Greenville • facebook.com/ DeltaHotTamaleFestival

» JUNE « » FEBRUARY «

Steve Azar Delta Soul & Celebrity Golf Event

Mississippi River Marathon

Greenville • facebook.com/DeltaSoulGolf

Greenville • msrivermarathon.racesonline.com

Snake Grabbin’ Rodeo

» MARCH «

Greenville • facebook.com/MississippiSnakeGrabbers

Mississippi Delta Black Rodeo

Warfield River Fest & BBQ Competition

Greenville • washingtoncountycc.com

Greenville • warfieldriverfest.com

Southern Traditional Archery Shoot

» JULY «

Winterville • facebook.com/wintervillemounds

» APRIL « Belmont, Bluegrass & BBQ Festival

WWISCAA Food Festival Greenville • wwiscaa.com

» AUGUST «

belmontplantation1857.com

Ferguson on Fire Drag Boat Races

Greenville Speedway Open Season

Greenville • facebook.com/ferguson-on-fire

Greenville • greenvillespeedway.net

Roll’n on the River

Ole Miss / Mississippi State Tennis & Golf Tournament

Greenville • facebook.com/redwinecarshow

Greenville • visitgreenville.org

Showcase on Wheels Greenville • cabinonthebogue.com

Mighty Mississippi Music Festival Greenville • mightymsmusic.com

Monuments on Main Street Greenville • facebook.com/Monuments-on-Main-Street

Native American Days at Winterville Winterville • facebook.com/wintervillemounds

» NOVEMBER « Glen Allan Antique Tractor Show Glen Allan • visitgreenville.org

» DECEMBER « Christmas on Deer Creek Leland • LelandChamber.com

» SEPTEMBER « Delta Blues & Heritage Festival Greenville • deltabluesms.org

Sam Chatmon Blues Festival

» MAY «

Hollandale • facebook.com/SamChatmonBlues

The Leland Crawfish Festival & Blues & Brews

“Jim Henson” Frog Fest & Chili Cookoff

Leland • LelandChamber.com

Leland • lelandchamber.com

visitgreenville.org (800) 467.3582

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WE LOVE MAKING YOU FEEL LIKE A WINNER!

You can NEVER have too much winning and excitement! And at Harlow’s, you get the full winning experience and so much more! You can play, enjoy, relax, taste and indulge all at one incredible resor t.

428 0 Harlows B lvd • Greenville, M S 38701 (86 6) 524 - LUCK • harlowsca s ino.com

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ADVERTORIAL

VACATION ARTFULLY IN PENSACOLA

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ica’s oldest settlement, one of the South’s most charming coastal cities is magically transformed into a delightful, sensory feast. Pensacola, Florida is the only city on the stretch of Gulf Coast from Mobile, Ala. to Tampa, Fla. that boasts having the “big five” – an opera, ballet, symphony, theatre and museum. Visitors can enjoy the robust variety of exploring the storied past while drinking in a multitude of fine arts performances and exhibits. The Pensacola Opera, Ballet Pensacola, Pensacola Symphony Orchestra, Pensacola Little Theatre, The Saenger Theatre and The Pensacola Museum of Art all offer year-round schedules and programming. Pensacola, known as the “Festival City of the South,” also celebrates a festival each month. With Pensacola’s mild weather, the city is poised to become a perfect destination to Vacation Artfully. “Pensacola, Fla. has established a stellar reputation for its unique, diverse cultural arts offerings,” said

David Bear, trustee emeritus for Art, Culture, and Entertainment, Inc. “So, it’s only natural we bring not only a variety of opera, ballet, symphony, theatre and museum culture to visitors and residents, but so many other diverse offerings of high artistic, cultural caliber.” In addition to the arts, downtown Pensacola offers historic walking tours, a large farmer’s market, quaint shops, food trucks, brewery tours and daily running clubs. In the evenings, travelers can enjoy a sophisticated cultural arts experience. From the inspiration of dance to compelling visual arts to the philharmonic strains of a symphonic orchestra, all events are staged in the backdrop of relaxed elegance unique to a city on the coast. Visitors on holiday can stroll along the bay, experience the culinary arts scene and take in historic sites while simultaneously enjoying the beauty and creativity of fine arts. For more information, visit: www.vacationartfully.com.

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A fun place to bring out the kid in music lovers.

Producer’s Studio

The Roland Room

Fascinating Artifacts

Produce a new song with Keb’ Mo’

Experience performing onstage

See costumes, instruments and more

Our revolving special exhibits and artifacts make GRAMMY Museum® Mississippi a must-see for music fans of all ages! • Explore all aspects of the recording process and the history of the GRAMMY Awards® • Browse 28,000 square feet of unique artifacts and experiences that tell the stories of legendary artists

GRAMMY® Archives

Interactive Music Table

Find every award winner here

Learn who influenced your favorite artists

800 West Sunflower Road / Cleveland, MS 38732 www.grammymuseumms.org / P: 662.441.0100

• Learn about Mississippi’s important impact on modern music

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SPORTSBOOK For information and reser vations: 1-866 - 615 -9125 | river walkvicksburg.com 1046 War a renton Road, Vicksburg, MS 39180 Must b e 21 or older. Ma nagement reser ves a l l r ight s. G a mbling problem? C a l l 1-888-777-9696. ©2019 R iver wa l k C asino • Hotel. A l l r ight s reser ved.

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THE POWER

of PLACE. MORE THAN A MUSEUM, A PUBLIC SQUARE. There is power in experience.

MORE THAN EXHIBITS, LESSONS. There is power in knowledge.

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MORE THAN A DESTINATION, A JOURNEY. There is power in purpose.

S E E . L E A R N . E N G A G E . A C T.

450 Mulberry Street | Memphis, TN 38103 | civilrightsmuseum.org

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FOR ALL

THE WORLD TO SEE “Let the world see what I’ve seen...” - Mamie Till Bradley, 1955

VISUAL CULTURE AND THE STRUGGLE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS

EXHIBITION Opening April 4 thru May 25, 2019 1608 Highway 82 West • Greenwood, Mississippi Mon - Sat 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. • Phone: 662-453-0925 museumofthemississippidelta.com Early

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❏ YES! Send me 6 issues (1 year) of Delta Magazine for just $3.66 an issue. _________________________________________ Name (please print)

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!!"# $%&%'()# * +Perkins and Muddy Waters, Ike Turner, Sam Cooke, % Pinetop other music legends once lived and worked here, so N it’sėonly " U W KQ T G U natural they left quite a mark. Frequent festivals, the nationally recognized Delta Blues Museum, Ground Zero Blues Club, and friedBlues and crumbed grits tartare in vierge of CatThat’s Headright, Delta and Folk Artwith aresalmon only the beginning sauce. That may not be your first thought when it comes to food what you’ll find. Check visitclarksdale.com for the dates of our offerings here, but we are becoming known for our food as much as many festivals, thenofplan to come immerse yourself in the blues. The rich and collision cultures here has resulted in authentic same cultureand that produced thesetamale music and legends. Lebanese Italian restaurants, barbecue diners, a Mennonite bakery, soul food in juke joints and clubs, as well as exciting dishes like the one above created by two Australian transplants. It’s time for a road trip.

662.627.6149 visitclarksdale.com

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Eat, drink and be soulful E o in Jackson. The City Wiith Soul.

visitjackson..com

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COOL digs

Unique places to stay in Clarksdale BY AMY MORRIS

If you are searching for unique lodging in the heart of the Delta, look no further than Clarksdale. People from all over the world come to Clarksdale to immerse themselves in the Delta’s hospitality and the local blues scene. The key element that sets these accommodations apart from chain hotels is that guests can experience staying in unique lodgings that provide living history and a cultural experience in and of themselves. Some are tucked away in restored buildings in the heart of downtown, while others are in historic residential homes, and still others are more off the beaten path. The undeniable calling of the blues and the Clarksdale locals who make visitors feel right at home keep travelers coming back to experience the wonder of the Mississippi Delta.

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Delta Bohemian Guest House in Clarksdake made the Booking.com ‘Book the U.S.’ List—a huge honor! Curated by the experts at Booking.com, the ‘Book the U.S.’ List features the coolest, most unique properties across each of the fifty United States.

Clarksdale White House

The prominent century-old Clarksdale White House is located in residential Clarksdale, just three blocks from downtown, and owned by gracious and welcoming hosts and co-founders of The Delta Bohemian® Madge and Billy Howell. This is a beautiful, warm and elegant home away from home for visitors seeking real Southern hospitality. While Guests stay in the distinctive Honey Room, Treetop Room or East Suite Rooms, each with full private baths, they have full use of spacious and eclectic shared living rooms, dining room and kitchen, each richly appointed with artwork and brimming with light. Covered parking and a private, brick-fenced back yard are added bonuses along with the complimentary breakfast, plus much more.

Delta Bohemian Guest House

The self-contained Delta Bohemian Guest House takes Clarksdale’s artsy edge to new heights. It sits in the private backyard of its sister property, the Clarkdale White House. Originally built as the cook’s quarters over a century ago, current owners and founders of The Delta Bohemian® Madge and Billy Howell, converted their guest house into an overnight accommodation. The funky, yet upscale home is an ideal getaway for couples desiring privacy, comfort and attention to detail. Ideal for two, the home has two bedrooms but can accommodate up to four adults. Amenities abound in this colorful and eccentric home. 114 Seminole Street (662) 392-9249 • deltabohemianguesthouse.com

325 West Second Street (662) 392-9249 • clarksdalewhitehouse.com

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The Clark House

What could be a more authentic experience than staying at the home of Clarksdale founder John Clark? The two-story, five bedroom, home was built in 1859 and is the oldest existing building in Clarksdale and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Literary enthusiasts will relish the nod to playwright Tennessee Williams with a stay in the, “The Big Daddy,” “Stella!” “Desire,” or “Baby Doll” rooms. Three additional rooms are located in an adjacent cottage on the property. Currently under the management of Hannah Peay, The Clark House offers stylish rooms with the most modern amenities and free Wifi. Guests are welcome in the common areas of the main house, which include a living room/parlor, a library and the dining room. A continental breakfast of breads, hot and cold cereal, seasonal fruit and beverages is available from 7 to 10 am each morning. 211 Clark Street (662) 621-1632 • clarkhouse.info

The Lofts at the Five and Dime

The Lofts, opened in 2010, are within walking distance to the many blues clubs and restaurants nearby. Offering apartment-style accommodations that blend modern style and amenities with traditional Southern charm, each loft has 1 bedroom, 1½ bathrooms, a full kitchen and great room with a pull-out queen size sleeper sofa. Housekeeping services and free wifi are also included to make your stay more comfortable. An additional perk of staying at The Lofts at the Five and Dime is that Yazoo Pass, a local favorite restaurant, is right downstairs. They have a delicious breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day except Sunday. 211 Yazoo Avenue (888) 510-9604 • fiveanddimelofts.com

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PHOTOS SCOTT SPEAKES

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Hooker Hotel, The Squeeze Box, and Delta Digs

These three unique apartment rentals, housed in the old Clarksdale Telegraph Office building in the heart of downtown, are the perfect location for a truly unique blues experience. Funky and hip, the properties boast an eclectic bluesy theme, which includes original artwork by local artists and blues memorabilia and are directly across the street from Hambone Art Gallery and the Rock and Blues Museum. With private bedrooms, a kitchen, dining and entertainment areas, guests will have the comforts of home. If staying during one of the Blues festivals, guests will have the additional benefit of live music, often performed right outside the door to the property.

112 East Second Street, 108 East Second Street, and 104 East Second Street (732) 740-6155 • homeaway.com

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Ground Zero Blues Club Apartments

Don’t want to drive home after a night on the town at GZBC? A lesser known fact about the legendary blues club is that there are rooms and small apartments above the main floor for rent. Owned by Bill and Francine Luckett, the rooms were decorated by Francine who chose a vintage 1960s theme. They also give a nod to the original occupant of the building, Delta Cotton Company; with names such as Good Middling, Strict Good Ordinary, and Strict Middling accordingly. Originally built for long term use the accommodations are very spacious. This overnight stay is a prime spot for travelers who just want to walk downstairs from their rooms on a Friday or Saturday night to order a cocktail and listen to great blues music or grab some delicious Southern food at the restaurant downstairs. For the traveler looking for a hopping good time, this is the ideal choice. 387 Delta Avenue (662) 621-9009 • groundzerobluesclub.com/rent-a-room

Bluestown Inn

Located in the heart of downtown in a one story commercial building, guests can stay in two comfortable rental condos at the Bluestown Inn. Bluestown is across the street from the historic Greyhound Bus Station which is now the Clarksdale Revitalization tourist information center. Guests describe the rentals as “quirky, comfortable, functional, and in the center of everything.” Guests can step out to the sidewalk and walk around the corner to the Delta Blues Museum and several clubs and restaurants. Parking is conveniently available in front of the door to the building. The tourist looking for a no fuss, convenient place to rest between festival events, club outings, and sightseeing should call and book a stay at The Bluestown Inn. 238 Third Street (662) 902-5188 • bluestowninn.com

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Shack Up Inn

This is the place for blues and history lovers looking for a truly unique Mississippi Delta experience. The renovated shotgun shacks or bins in the Cotton Gin at Shack Up Inn are across from Hopson's Commissary, which is a popular nightspot to grab a drink and listen to live music and are only three miles from the legendary Crossroads. They provide a true living history experience with corrugated tin roofs and cypress walls that are reminiscent of days gone by. With a two-night minimum for weekends, the Shacks are “restored only enough to accommodate 21st Century expectations (indoor bathrooms, heat, air conditioning, coffee maker with condiments, refrigerators and microwave in all the units), and they provide comfort as well as authenticity.” After all, their mantra is “the Ritz we ain’t.” In conjunction with the Shack Up Inn, across the tracks and down the road, you’ll find the Shacksdale Motel that includes six additional refurbished sharecropper shacks, including the actual home of sharecropper, Hattie May, that was moved from nearby Jonestown. 001 Commissary Circle Road (662) 624-8329 • shackupinn.com

Blues Hound Flat

This cool condo is housed in the building that was once the home to an old glass company. Owned and operated by Norman and Sherry Adcox, Blues Hound Flat is much larger than an average hotel room, with 1500 square feet of space and can sleep up to four people. Touches of the blues can be found in furnishings and local eclectic art, and the cozy gas fireplace will make guests feel at home. Blues Hound is available for nightly or extended accommodations. One traveler described the flat as having “Bluesy mojo and hound dog vibes.” The décor for the condo was well thought out to give it a comfortable, funky vibe. Between the local entertainment and the spacious condo, guests will find it hard to leave the blues behind when it is time to go home. 309 Issaquena Avenue 901-272-0230 • blueshoundflat.com

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PHOTOS SCOTT SPEAKES

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Mississippi International Travelers BY THE NUMBERS

► 149,900—total number of international overnight visitors

► $160.1 million total amount spent averaging $1,068 per person

PERCENT OF VISITORS PER COUNTRY

CANADA............................................................................. 24% UNITED KINGDOM ............................................................10% JAPAN ...................................................................................7% CHINA ...................................................................................6% GERMANY ............................................................................5% MEXICO ................................................................................4% FRANCE ................................................................................4% BRAZIL ..................................................................................3% INDIA ....................................................................................3% ITALY .....................................................................................2% SOUTH KOREA ......................................................................2% NETHERLANDS .....................................................................2% SPAIN ...................................................................................2% 2017 TOURISM ECONOMIC IMPACT REPORT

Chateau Debris

This unique option for accommodation is owned and managed by John Magnusson, owner of the Hooker Hotel, Delta Digs, and The Squeeze Box. John is described by guests as the ultimate host, always readily available to give information and directions. Chateau Debris is located in downtown Clarksdale and is a convenient walk to blues clubs and restaurants. It is a stately old home that accommodates up to ten guests. There are five bedrooms, two and half baths, and communal areas such as the living quarters and kitchen. Besides the owner’s private living space, guests have access to the entire home. It is ideal for a group seeking lodging for a wedding, birthday celebration, or a getaway with extended family. The home is decorated with eclectic art, much of which is for sale. The vintage furnishings give the home charm and character. One guest describes the home as “an art gallery.” There are four accommodations for rent with the common areas being available to all guests. The Chateau, Blue Room, and Gold Room are all decorated with Southern charm and comfort in mind. The Bordello Room, as the name suggests, is decorated in a whimsical style with bright tones. For an entertaining and welcoming accommodation, book a stay at the Chateau Debris. 111 Leflore Avenue, Clarksdale (732) 740-6155 • chateaudebris.com

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SNAPSHOT of the

COMINNG SOO

Average Mississippi Traveler 48 age

travel party size

nights spent

household income

2.5

2.9

$71,900

2017 TOURISM ECONOMIC IMPACT REPORT

“

To understand the world, you must first understand a place like Mississippi.” – WILLIAM FAULKNER

Auberge Clarksdale

Auberge Clarksdale which will Clarksdale’s first actual hostel is scheduled to open in the coming months. Robert Weinstein, who operates the number one hostel in the USA as ranked by Hostelworld Hoscar, will open the Clarksdale hostel in the Madidi building. Serendipitously, Weinstein ended up in Clarksdale by chance when a guest at his New Orleans hostel left behind a Shack Up Inn key from Clarksdale. Intrigued, he began researching Clarksdale, and decided to book a stay. He was immediately attracted to the area, and was inspired to open a hostel in Clarksdale. The hostel “kumbaya” concept of shared bathrooms, bedrooms, and communal areas is a unique experience for travelers who want to meet new people and learn about their way of life in other towns and cities all over the world. 164 Delta Avenue

Riverside Hotel

The Riverside Hotel has been owned by the Ratliff family since 1957 and is still owned and managed by Joyce Ratliff and her daughter Zelena, who is known for her gracious hospitality. The Riverside Hotel has the distinction of being one of the only African American hotels during the Jim Crow era and over the years many blues legends such as Sonny Boy Williams, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, and Ike Turner have stayed there, calling it their home away from home. A visitor from the UK said, “It felt like a step into history, we stayed in the Sam Cooke room.” So if you want, lay your hat where the bluesmen laid theirs—don’t miss this opportunity. By the way, the late John F. Kennedy, Jr. also spent a few nights here.

615 Sunflower Avenue (662) 624-9163 • riversideclarksdale.com

Traveler’s Inn

The soon to be opened Traveler’s Inn will be housed inside the 1920’s Clarksdale Printing Company and will offer twenty rooms for guest accommodations. With plans to open later this month, Ann Williams, Bubba O’Keefe, and their other partners have been working on the Traveler’s Inn for three years. Local artists will serve as managers and operators for the inn which will also be a venue open to the community for meetings, art exhibits, and other functions. The developers are saving as much of the old interior design as possible to maintain the look and feel of this historic building. 212 Third Street DELTA MAGAZINE 2019

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Mag gnolil ia Lighting h

Residential Lighting ·

Hernando Oxford Tupelo Ridgeland

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Rediscover

MEMPHIS 8

New(ish) Things to Try in Grind City

CREATION STUDIOS

BY ERIN WILLIAMS

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ON THE CUSP OF ITS BICENTENNIAL IN MAY, Memphis has been rebirthed, restored, and reinvigorated. Many struggling neighborhoods and commercial districts have been transformed into hip social hotspots, buzzing with with new restaurants, distilleries, breweries, art venues and markets. So, for those of you who hold to David Cohn’s observation that the Mississippi Delta begins in the lobby of the Peabody Hotel, we challenge you to explore the new and unknown in this familiar town just up the river. – C.C.

First Fridays at Broad Avenue Arts District

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PHOTOS COURTESY OLD DOMINICK DISTILLERY

Old Dominick Distillery Tasting Room

1. Old Dominick Distillery

“Share a Sip of Pure Memphis” and take a tour at Old Dominick Distillery a micro-distillery that opened almost two years ago. With roots harkening all the way back to the late 1800s when Domenico Canale immigrated from Italy and eventually created a family business that would later produce and sell a private-label whiskey brand called Old Dominick. As fate would have it, just a few years ago an unopened bottle of Old Dominick’s Toddy resurfaced from the 1800s inspiring Domenico’s greatgreat grandsons, Chris and Alex Canale, to bring back the spirit brand and build a new world-class distillery. With nods to the history of Old Dominick all over the property—from the onsite gift shop to the guided tours of the distillery and curated tastings of the spirits themselves—it’s truly a unique experience and has a story that’s captivated Memphians and visitors alike. Backed by the slogan urging visitors to “Share a Sip of Pure Memphis,” samples of their spirits are available to all guests (of legal drinking age) taking a tour.

Old Dominick Distillery 305 South Front Street • olddominick.com

Also housed within the Old Dominick Distillery building is The Gray Canary. Serving a sophisticated, one-of-a-kind dining experience, Chefs Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman offer a raw bar with some of the best gulf, east and west coast sustainable oysters and sashimi-style fish around, as well as a cocktail menu that is built entirely from scratch. With a small plate menu that is seasonally inspired, the specialties constantly rotate, changing throughout the year so diners can expect to get the very freshest ingredients and produce.

Oyster bar at The Gray Canary 88 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

EMILEE ROBINSON

The Gray Canary 301 South Front Street • (901) 249-2932 • thegraycanary.com

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“Having overcome two decades of blight, Crosstown Concourse is a catalyst for the revitalization of not just a distressed and abandoned building, but an entire neighborhood.” – The Driehaus Foundaiton

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Spend the day at Crosstown Concourse—with a slogan that says “Eat, Shop, Thrive, Visit, Live” this mixed-use “urban village” has quickly become a new favorite of visitors. Housed in the old Sears mail-order processing warehouse, Crosstown Concourse is a 1.5 million square foot, one-stop shop. With amenities that encompass downtown living, thirteen restaurants, retail shops, a contemporary art center with shared art-making space, a concert hall and theater, commercial offices, a wellness center, and even a charter high school there is truly something for everyone. As far as dining goes, Crosstown offers a unique variety of restaurants. Farm Burger has a burger menu with grass-fed beef and vegan options sourced from local farms, along with brews from Memphis Made Brewing, Crosstown Brewing Co., and Wiseacre Brewing Co. Share a meal with resident artists from all over the world at Today and Always at Crosstown Arts which offers entirely plant-based options for each meal of the day. Global Café, is an International food hall where visitors can sample food cuisines prepared by immigrants and refugees from around the world. And if your sweet tooth is calling, Lucy J’s Bakery and the small-batch ice cream at Area 51 Ice Cream, are ready to answer the call. Cruise the multiple art galleries, grab a cup of coffee at French Truck Coffee and then squeeze in some retail therapy, from high-end home décor items at Cheryl Pesce: The Lifestyle Store to seasonal produce and delicacy meats at The Curb Market, or even make a quick run by the FedEX Store. Crosstown has you covered.

1350 Concourse Avenue (901) 512-6890 • crosstownconcourse.com

Global Café

GLOBAL CAFE

French Truck Coffee FRENCH TRUCK

CROSSTOWN CONCOURSE

2. Crosstown Concourse

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3. Loflin Yard

Possibly the most unique repurposing of space in Memphis. Located in the heart of downtown, Loflin Yard is a bar, restaurant, event space, and outdoor lounge all rolled into one. Comprised of the The Coach House (once the home of Downtown’s carriage fleet), Safe House, a smokehouse, a deck and outdoor spaces for community gatherings, Loflin Yard is a haven for those seeking delicious cuisine and cocktails, dynamic entertainment. Or, simply relax in the Front Yard, a perfectly laid-back setting to enjoy outstanding food and cocktails or watch the trains go by in the Back Yard. It’s as common to see a dog walking around Loflin Yard as it is to witness one of their legendary corn hole tournaments. The casual menu is eclectic with small plates and gourmet sandwiches, and a superb brunch menu as well. Dogs, drinks, and the best shrimp and grits you’ll ever eat in your life–what’s not to love?

PHOTOS COURTESY LOFLIN YARD

7 West Carolina Avenue (901) 290-1140 • loflinyard.com

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4. The Carolina Watershed

Explore the Carolina Watershed. These old silos located in the middle of town and surrounded by woods prove that Memphians are truly serial renovators. “The Shed” is an indoor/outdoor oasis that cannot be rivaled, creating a playground for all ages that includes rocks, cascading waterfalls, an overlook, and stage areas for live music. With a bar, kitchen, and restaurant each in shed/silo, the design alone is a masterpiece. And the food is knockout, touting a menu filled with “re-imagined down-home classics that can blow your grandma’s socks off.” Enjoy their signature item, “The Watershed Burger,” while listening to live music onsite for a real treat. And be sure to take a look at their Facebook page where they frequently post happy hour specials.

Memphis was named to Frommer’s list of Best Places to Go in 2019!

PHOTOS COURTESY CAROLINA WATERSHED

141 East Carolina Avenue (901) 321-5553 • carolinawatershed.com

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5. Big River Crossing

Take a walk or ride on the Big River Crossing. Originally built in 1916 as the Harahan Bridge train trestle, Big River Crossing opened one century later in 2016. It is the longest public pedestrian/bike bridge across the Mississippi River. Almost a mile in length and totally free to the public, the Crossing is family-friendly, pet-friendly and is monitored by security cameras. Connecting downtown Memphis to Arkansas, Big River Crossing is a remarkable sight to behold that is further accentuated at night with LED light displays which run from sundown to 10 pm Big River Crossing is a mustsee travel staple in Memphis that combines gorgeous views of the Mississippi River and the downtown Memphis skyline. Admission is free and open daily from 6 am to 10 pm

Big River Crossing bigrivercrossing.com

PHOTOS COURTESY BIG RIVER CROSSING

Go to, memphistravel.com/memphis-bike-map, for more information on Memphis bike routes and area bike sharing/rentals.

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6. Shelby Farms

Enjoy the outdoors at the farm. Shelby Farms is a sprawling 4,500acre “farm” that is in a constant state of change. With free admission and open year-round, Shelby Farms simply has everything; a day to explore it all is hardly enough. Various biking paths, an onsite restaurant, a zip line course (be sure to wear closed-toe shoes), horse and paddle boat rentals, a gift shop, and multiple playgrounds that suit kids of all abilities await at Shelby Farms. For those traveling with pets, Shelby Farms welcomes dogs on leashes throughout the park; it also has a 100-acre off-leash area known as The Outback. Most notably known for their buffalo herd, Shelby Farms is passionate about conservancy, and uses their herd to educate the public on the dwindling number of bison nationwide. Those who wish even have the option to “adopt a buffalo” to help support their conservancy program.

PHOTOS COURTESY SHELBY FARMS PARK/REBECCA DAILEY

6903 Great View Drive North (901) 222-7275 • shelbyfarmspark.org

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CREATION STUDIOS

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7. The Broad Avenue Arts District

Shop local boutiques on Broad Avenue. One of the most thriving areas in Memphis, the Broad Avenue Arts District located in the historic Binghampton commercial area, has gone from being littered with vacant storefronts to a vibrant arts district in less than a decade. Now home to over seventy local businesses, ranging from art galleries, artist studios, boutique shops, restaurants, and bars. Some of the local dining favorites on Broad (among many others) include Bounty on Broad, The Liquor Store, an actual liquor store-turned diner and bar which features craft cocktails and Cuban sandwiches, and don’t miss Broadway Pizza. Nationally recognized ceramics studio, Paper & Clay is a must-see, as well as Bingham & Broad an eclectic corner shop that highlights local and regional art. Go by Mbabazi House of Style, an African-owned design boutique that uses traditional African fabrics as the backbone of their apparel, accessories, and home décor lines. The iconic water tower has a mural and evening light show that is breathtaking—and First Fridays on Broad is not to be missed, with scgeduled events such as a scavenger hunt, a puppy parade, trunk shows with extended shopping hours and live music. 2542 Broad Avenue broadavearts.com

Visit a hidden gem. The Metal Museum has been a lesser-known Memphis treasure for years and has the distinction of being the only institution in the United States devoted to exclusively to promoting and advancing fine metalwork. It provides a true community for those dedicated to the art of metal-smithing and those who admire the craftsmanship. The Metal Museum hosts artists exhibitions, onsite artist residencies, classes, and repair days, when visitors can bring in items to be restored. Beautifully set among oak trees, with views of both the Mississippi River and the Harahan Bridge, the Metal Museum grounds are simply stunning with outdoor scenic views making it a unique setting for special events. As the Metal Museum prepares to celebrate it’s 40 th anniversary, there’s no better time to visit. 374 Metal Museum Drive (901) 774-6380 • metalmuseum.org

COURTESY OF THE METAL MUSEUM

8. The Metal Museum

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Under the RADAR

Hidden gems of the Memphis barbecue scene WRITTEN AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY KAREN PULFER FOCHT 98 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

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et, dry, naked, jerked, rubbed, tender, tangy, sweet, juicy, and always smoked low and slow, Memphis style. Those are just a few of the ways the 100+ places to eat in Memphis describe their barbecue. When it comes to barbecue, Memphis has been called the “Holy City of Pork.” Amateurs come from around the world and compete for the barbecue World Championship each May. Some restaurants in town will ship their ribs overnight to customers who have just got to “put some South in their mouth.” Memphis is well-known for its barbecue and hospitality. Depending on the flavors, cooking styles, and atmosphere you are looking for, there’s plenty of swell swine dining for everyone. When visitors pass through Memphis, often with just a couple of days to visit, one of the most commonly asked questions is who has the best barbecue. Rendezvous, Corky’s, and Central BBQ are some of the most obvious choices. But there are so many other wonderful places to pig out.

Leonard’s Pit Barbecue

What place is most fit for a king? Elvis’s favorite barbecue was Leonard’s. Leonard’s is ninety-six years old. It was established in 1922 in South Memphis before there was a barbecue place on every corner. It is now located near Mt. Moriah and I-240 in southeast Memphis. One of the things that makes Leonard’s Pit Barbecue unique is that they offer a buffet. The current owner of Leonard’s, Dan Brown, has worked there since he was fifteen years old; he is now seventy-one. As Elvis became more famous, he couldn’t come and eat during regular business hours. “He couldn’t go anywhere without word getting out; people followed him everywhere,” says Brown. Leonard’s would close down the shop, and then Elvis would come in with his guests around midnight. What was more exciting than being with Elvis? It was waiting for his tip, Brown says. “I made seventy-five cents per hour back then, and he would send a one-hundreddollar tip for the waitress and fifty dollars for us,” he remembers. Brown says they would also stay late to make takeout for Elvis to bring into the movie theaters after hours. Like most other places, the most popular items on the menu are the ribs and the barbecue pork sandwich. If you just can’t decide, or you just like it all, the buffet has chopped pork shoulder and BBQ chicken every day; they add the ribs to the buffet only on Tuesday and Thursday. Standard buffet items usually include authentic crispy fried catfish, wonderful tangy wings, sausage, baked chicken, spaghetti, corn, potatoes, baked beans, a few other veggies, and classic desserts.

Loretta Hopper

Longtime employee Loretta Hopper, who has worked at the restaurant forty-seven years, says consistency is key to their success. “A lot of factors go in to making barbecue consistent.” Their rib sauce is described as very sweet, and a long-time customer who returns to Leonard’s again and again describes the ribs themselves as “succulent.” They are open seven days per week but for lunch only. Leonard’s Pit Barbecue 5465 Fox Plaza Drive • (901) 360-1963 • leonardsbarbecue.com DELTA MAGAZINE 2019

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Cozy Corner

Sean Robinson and Bobby Bradley

A lesser-known, very casual place that rises to the top of many favored barbecue lists is Cozy Corner, a favorite of younger Memphians especially. Tucked away in a humble little corner building on the northern side of downtown, you could easily pass by this gem without noticing it. Cozy Corner is a four-generation family-owned shop; cousins Sean Robinson and Bobby Bradley learned the art of barbecue from their grandparents, who opened the restaurant after encouragement from friends who they often entertained with their good cooking. “Every piece you get has been flipped by a man,” brags Bradley. They get their smoky down-home flavor using real pits that have real people always manually tending to the meat, which is cooked over charcoal. For the taste, he says he can’t produce his product any other way. A specialty here is the Cornish game hen, which they say holds the smoky flavor really well. The most popular dish is the ribs and wings combo. They will serve it wet, dry, mild, medium, or hot, but their goal is to “make the meat so good you don’t need the sauce,” says Robinson. You may want to hog their dessert. In true Southern style, they offer a divine locally made sweet potato pie that is just the right sweetness. A recent gaggle of teenagers from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, stopped in here while on a barbecue tour of Memphis. Kayla McNeil described the barbecue as being so good “it makes you want to slap your mama!” Cozy Corner 735 North Parkway • (901) 527-9158 • cozycornerbbq.com

Bar-B-Q Shop

The Bar-B-Q Shop in midtown Memphis on Madison is a favorite of locals and foodies, but it is not as often visited by the average tourist. Also a family-owned restaurant, it’s quickly becoming a well-known and highly recommended barbecue darling. “Memphis ribs like you ain’t never had,” they claim. They are located in between Overton Square and downtown Memphis with parking around back. The pork shoulder sandwich at this “Home of the Dancing Pigs” is the most popular thing on the menu. It’s served with the slaw on top—true Memphis style. Their tender ribs fall off the bone and are served with a tangy sauce, Texas toast, beans, and slaw. The most unique thing on the menu is the barbecue spaghetti, but the sour cream potato salad may be the thing that makes you most squeal in delight. You can order a double potato salad in place of another side if you’d prefer. They also offer gluten free chicken nuggets and a BBQ veggie burger for those guests who need alternatives. Bar-B-Q Shop 1782 Madison • (901) 272-1277 • thebar-b-qshop.com 100 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

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Blues City Café

When it comes to barbecue, people often eat elsewhere before coming to Beale Street to party; however, you can get one of the best meals on Beale at Blues City Café. Serving up no less than three hundred racks of sweet, wet, slowly smoked ribs per day (and over one thousand on New Year’s Eve), Blues City Café is another local favorite. Blues City has always done a great business with their steak (which is ordered by the pound), their catfish, tamales, and marinated salad; however, in this smoky city, with so many well-known places for barbecue, this corner bar and cafe is lesser known for their highly rated barbecue. But their ribs are their most popular dish. The late chef Bonnie Mack was chef to President Bill Clinton before becoming the head chef at Blues City Café. Mack taught kitchen manager and head chef Larry Crawford everything he knew about making mouthwatering BBQ before he left this world. Crawford is smart enough to soak in all he can from his elders. He has also made his grandmother’s turnip greens into one of the other most popular things on the menu. Part owner and restaurateur Bud Chittom says the “turnip greens will turn a dead man’s head.” A side of the steamy red boiled potatoes is a simple but tasty treat as is the signature apple dumpling served sizzling hot with ice cream on top. Visitors will enjoy the ambience here and might even recognize that a scene from the movieThe Firm was filmed inside. Blues City Café is really a one-stop shop with great food, great atmosphere, late kitchen hours, a bar, and live music. You are most likely to encounter a line here on weekends, so come early and leave late. Blues City Café 138 Beale Street • (901) 526-3637 • bluescitycafe.com

Payne’s Bar-B-Que

For a more off-the-beaten-path and very casual experience, Payne’s BarB-Que on the southern side of Midtown off Lamar is a neighborhood favorite. Neighborhood foodie Bill Jackson says, “when you got some aches, you need to get you some Payne’s.” Payne’s is another family-owned-and-run small business where the secret recipes have been passed down from the grandmother to grandchild. “We all work really well together,” says Candace Parker, who was a teacher before

Larry Crawford

coming back to the family business. She loves the customers too; according to Parker, “some have been coming here since we only did shoulder on white bread.” “People come from all over the world,” she says as she serves up some slaw on top of a sandwich. The chopped pork sandwich is the most popular item, which is served with baked beans and chips. The baked beans are served with chunks of shredded meat. The bright yellow slaw is mustard-based, and the barbecue sauce is sweet. They do not do rubs, and they add their sauce at the end. You can request hot, medium, or mild and wet or dry. The ribs are fresh on Tuesday, and if you come on a Saturday, they will stay until they sell out, but they say it is best to come early. They are not open nights. They are known for their barbecue bologna and smoked sausage and were once featured on the TV show This Is Us. What is their secret? “Keep it simple,” Parker says. Payne’s Bar-B-Que 1762 Lamar Avenue • (901) 272-1523 DELTA MAGAZINE 2019

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L Lamp S de House Sha 4870 S ummer A v e at Mendenhal Mendenhalll

P. O. Box 117 Cleveland, MS 38732

$28 per year

You can subscribe by mail, or call (662) 843-2700 TODAY! 102 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

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HOME

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Classic and contemporary appointments grace the formal sitting room, with a French Regency settee blending happily with the modern sofa and wing chairs.

Everything OLD is NEW Again Paying homage to its late-Victorian origins, this exquisitely reimagined family-friendly home blends effortlessly into one of Oxford’s finest old neighborhoods BY BRENDA WARE JONES • PHOTOGRAPHY BY B. FLINT PHOTOGRAPHY

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The locally-famous “Oxford Tree,” enjoyed in all seasons from the curved front porch, shows off its sculptural majesty even in midwinter.

tephanie and Tom Tann were immediately attracted to 1405 Madison Avenue in 2012 when the house on the elevated corner lot came up for sale. Just two blocks from Oxford’s famed courthouse square, situated in a neighborhood much coveted by young families, the 1898 dwelling had just the old-fashioned charm the Tanns sought. Its long wrap-around front porch with delicate gingerbread trim harkened back to the days of “old Oxford,” when the current teeming and ever-expanding city was just a small, quiet college town, and William Faulkner was barely one year old. “Our original intention was to renovate the existing house,” says Stephanie, “and we knew we wanted Frank Tindall, whose work we loved, to design the project for us.” Tindall is an Indianola native, now based in Oxford, and probably the Delta’s busiest residential designer these days. He had worked with the couple before on an addition to their previous home. “The house on Madison had so much character,” Tindall recalls, when asked about his initial impressions of the one-story clapboard cottage, “But after careful examination, we decided that, structurally, it was simply too far gone, after so many years, to be salvageable. And so the decision was reached to rebuild.”

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There was never any question about the style; the new construction would be firmly rooted in the late-nineteenthcentury vernacular of the original. Its most distinguishing feature, that curved porch, would remain the focal point of the reimagined residence. Adding square footage to accommodate the Tann’s two young children, now teenagers, was a priority. The decision was made to go vertical and add a second story with suites for each child and generous guest quarters. Tindall drew a quintessentially Victorian-style façade, complete with nine-over-nine mullioned windows on the lower story and smaller sixpane fenestration up on the second. The footpath of the cherished porch remained the same, although the narrow decorative apron of spindles and brackets along the roofline was omitted, and a railing with balusters was added. Entering the house through that porch, the first-time visitor could easily believe that this was indeed an old house, carefully and lovingly restored. The formal entry is flanked by a sitting room with fireplace on the right side and a large family dining room to the left. The tall cased openings to each room, as everywhere else on the main floor, are topped by sparkling glass transoms, fashioned of recycled glass from the 1800s, a reference

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The round dining table, ideal for dinner conversation, is surrounded by upholstered chairs clad in a soft, deep charcoal velvet.

“

Our goal for the furnishings was that they would seamlessly complement the elegant architecture while providing a beautiful but comfortable backdrop for their busy lives.

”

– BETSEY MOSBY

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In the large family room, adjacent to both the kitchen and wide rear porch, nubby textiles provide comfort. The rustic coffee table echoes the texture of the old beams above.

to those present in the original structure. A staircase leading to the children’s and guest rooms rises just past the wide living room doorway. Bathed in abundant natural light from the long windows, the interiors are luminous with a palette of pale neutrals and interesting textures. To bring the rooms to life, Stephanie chose Jackson interior designer Betsey Mosby. “I had not worked with Betsey before,” notes Stephanie, “but I really admired the work I had seen her do for others.” Mosby shares Stephanie’s preference for pale, monochromatic schemes that bring into focus treasured collections, artwork, and a mix of antique and contemporary furnishings. Photos and memorabilia from the family’s many travels adorn the house as well. Mosby, who also maintains an Oxford studio and works there for part of the week, is quick to give credit to her client’s good 108 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

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Dominating the room is an imposing chimneypiece with an antique gilt Louis Philippe mirror flanked by iron sconces brought from the couple’s former home.

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A reclaimed newel post adds interest and texture to the staircase.

A collection of creamware faience plates is displayed above a vintage French confectioner’s table. A collection of blush-pink pottery graces the surface below.

A collection of framed vintage prints on the den wall were a gift from Tom to Stephanie. 110 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

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The spacious kitchen is light and bright, serving as the hub for the home.

Being open to the other areas, the design elements were kept simple.

taste. “Stephanie has a really excellent eye and has chosen some of the appointments herself,” she says, “and has been openminded about some of the more unexpected things I’ve suggested! We worked really well together as a team on their house.” Fabrics, in particular, were meticulously specified to bring texture and depth to the rooms. The couple, and Tindall, were determined to use old, reclaimed materials wherever possible to provide the vintage feel of the backdrop to the interior schemes. The floors are white oak, taken from the floor joists of a demolished house in Athens, Alabama, circa 1890. These were milled into tongue-and-groove flooring by a Tennessee mill. In addition to doors from the

original house, others were crafted from old cypress rafters from an old textile mill in Virginia. The beams in the large central family sitting room, opening off the rear of the entry hall, were also reclaimed. Most of these repurposed treasures were found at Southern Accents, Garland Gudger’s vast collection of architectural antiques in Cullman, Alabama, a source well-known by designers and renovators for the past half-century. As is the case in most family homes, the kitchen is the hub of daily life at the Tann’s. Soaring white cabinets and pale Calacatta gold marble countertops with a warm wood-plank ceiling that echoes the flooring, all contribute to the look of an old-fashioned country kitchen. There is ample space for creative culinary DELTA MAGAZINE 2019

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A collection of framed intaglios above charcoal-grey armchairs in a corner of the bedroom.

Above, more French classicism in the master bedroom. At left, the vanity area of the spacious master bath is washed in light from the long window, curtained with a Schumacher linen, with light grey embroidery in an arabesque pattern.

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activity, although Stephanie confesses to doing less cooking these days with son Harrison off at Clemson University and daughter Julia busy with high school. Because of its expansive proportions and generous work surfaces, the Tann kitchen is often used by good friend and cookbook author Elizabeth Heiskell for classes and demonstrations. Behind the kitchen, a second staircase leads to a suite above the garage, comprised of a bedroom suite and sitting area that Tom, an ophthalmologist, uses as an office, exercise, and music room, where he enjoys retreating to play his guitars. The railing of this stairway is made from posts reclaimed from old churches,

banks, and houses. In the space under the steps, Tindall added a particularly clever grace note: a tiny cage doorway leading to a cozy nook for the family’s much-loved (and admittedly spoiled) “other children,” Cavalier King Charles spaniels, Beezus and George. Tucked away on the opposite side of the first floor, beyond the family room, is a beautifully appointed corner master suite. Here the same cool, calming neutrals predominate, and the custom upholstered king headboard is symmetrically flanked by painted French commodes topped by contemporary white sculptural lamps. The master bath is a spa-like retreat with marble surfaces, DELTA MAGAZINE 2019

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design details

ACHIEVE THE LOOK

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The L-shaped swimming pool, enhanced with stone accents, provides a cool vista from the rear porch.

The welcoming front porch, curving from the front door around the corner dining room, is a good spot for sitting in any season.

plenty of vanity space, and a private soaking tub for quiet moments. As livable and appealing as the rooms of the main floor are, the Tanns claim that what they enjoy most are times when weather permits them to take their meals and leisure outdoors. Beyond the family room, accessible from the kitchen wing, is a deep, sweeping covered rear porch, complete with dining table, large swing bed, and wood-burning fireplace on the far end. All this overlooks a grand and gracious swimming pool, also designed by Tindall, that is a popular spot for summer gatherings. The landscaping has been kept simple, especially out front, where the undisputed star of the show is a huge, one-hundredyear-old ginkgo tree, taller than the house and known for generations as “The Oxford Tree,” according to Stephanie. “We absolutely had to preserve it!” she explains, noting that during construction a fence was built around it in order to keep its roots and lower branches from harm. Every autumn, without fail, its leaves glow a resplendent, bright lemon yellow, reminding locals that some things never change. DM

A long refectory table on the rear porch is a perfect spot for al fresco suppers any time the weather allows.

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KRISTELL BERNAUD

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Allure of the Delta What makes “the most Southern place on earth” so intriguing BY HANK BURDINE

here is a lot more to the Delta than catfish, cotton, and corn. We got the Mississippi River, the third largest river system in the world that created our Delta. The river shaped who we are and gave us the wherewithal to do

what we do. We live in respect and sometimes fear of her, yet she is our relentless bedside table. We have endless fields of blinding white gold during cotton picking time spread over miles and miles of table-top flat bottomlands. And we got the BLUES. We birthed the blues, and then folks like Elvis Presley and Muddy Waters came along, and the “Blues had a baby, and they called it Rock-n-Roll.” We got the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, the headwater of the Delta that edifies the opulence of a time when cotton was KING. And we got the Shackup Inn, Hopson Commissary, and the Tallahatchie Flats where we can spend time and make memories while staying in and reliving history. And we got Doe’s, Lillo’s, Lusco’s, and the Blue and White, supreme world class eateries in anybody’s travel guide. And we got ‘em all right here within driving distance of each other on any given day. 116 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

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The Delta is HOT now. Not hot in the sense of the heat and humidity of August when our breath gets sucked out of us as we walk outside to a blast furnace blanket of air that leaves us gasping but the hot lure and appeal to thousands of travelers from far away places. They want to understand the ambiance, to feel the dirt beneath their feet, smell the aromas, taste the food, and experience the pulse of the deep moaning and longing that comes from being in the place that did in fact birth the blues. The wailing of a work chant born from a “long line” of one hundred striped-legged men chopping or picking cotton with trustee shooters overseeing them can sometimes thought to be heard rustling from the leaves of tall oak trees outside the boundaries of the State Penitentiary at Parchman Farm. “Well, I’m putting that cotton in a elevenfoot sack, with a twelve-gauge shotgun at my back.” (Mose Allison) On the gravestone of Robert Johnson, there is often found pennies, strings of beads, empty whiskey bottles, and epaulets hanging from the tree limbs at the Little Zion Missionary Baptist Church on Money Road in Leflore County. It was close by there at a juke joint that someone slipped Johnson a bottle of whiskey laced with strychnine that lead to his agonizing death. He had reached lightning fame with his guitar playing and blues singing after supposedly cutting a deal with the devil on a lonesome crossroads at midnight. People come from all across the globe to pay their respects to Robert Johnson, sometimes leaving mementoes and thanks. They take pictures of the deep, dark, mysterious, swirling, and inexorable waters of the nearby Tallahatchie River that harbors more secrets than it has ever given up. They want to go home and to be able to tell their friends that they were there—that they were in the Mississippi Delta and that they felt it. That they had felt the dirt. That they had held cotton in their hands they themselves had picked from a harsh, sharp, prickly cotton boll. They want to be able to say that they had eaten the lowly hot tamale, supped on turnip greens and cornbread and blackeyed peas. That they not only had heard the blues at Red’s Lounge in Clarksdale on the banks of the Sunflower River but that they had fleetingly felt the blues. They don’t really know how they felt the blues but at least they were there. That they had walked

Cooking on the duck boat with Zimmern on the Mississippi River.

Andrew Zimmern with “Aunt” Florence Signa at Doe’s Eat Place in Greenville.

barefoot in liquid dirt dust on a lonesome turn row at midnight and had taken a gurgling slug out of a half pint bottle of cheap whiskey and then poured the rest over Robert Johnson’s grave. And once they tell those stories back home, others want to come. Just last year, I was fortunate to have befriended several different couples traveling through the Delta for various reasons. Some came to find the blues. Some came to document the literary, artistic, and blues heritage of the Delta while others came to photograph high fashion designer clothes, all because of the essence of what the Delta is and what it means to those who have never visited. All came for different reasons, but the one underlying cause for their trips was the Mississippi Delta itself and all it has to offer.

The Food Several years ago, the Food Network of the Travel Channel contacted me to set up a duck hunt where Andrew Zimmern could come down, hunt ducks, and do a Bizarre Food episode. I set the show up, procuring the proper duck boat where we cooked mallard duck breasts, munched on huge boiled peanuts, and Andrew nibbled Double-Quik Koolicles (bizarre food, indeed) deep in the willowed backwaters of the Mississippi River. We spent a glorious day at the confluence of the Arkansas and

Tom and Irene Smits from the Netherlands on a trip to the Birthplace of the Blues.

Mississippi, where we talked and became fast friends as ducks and geese flew overhead, cameras whirred, and support boats scuttled about, with an armed security guard in tow. We later finished our trip at Doe’s Eat Place in Greenville where Andrew became enamored with Aunt Florence Signa as he stood at her salad bowl marveling at her wit and the stories that she told of being family and working at Doe’s for over sixty-eight years. It’s an episode that Andrew Zimmern has said he will never forget.

French Connection A friend recommended a television crew contact me to help with production and participation in two documentaries for a French travel channel to be aired in France and Germany, each in their respective languages. Der Mississippi-William Faulkners Literarische Inspiration Stadt Land Kunst attempts to explain Faulkner’s DELTA MAGAZINE 2019

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Judge Phyllis Gardner of Memphis enjoying the quiet ambiance of a shack at Tallahatchie Flats on Money Road outside of Greenwood.

Esteemed fashion photographer Natasha Kertes and haute couture designer Ema Savahl photograph model Zoe Imes in a canoe in the cypress trees of Lake Washington for the Ema Savahl EVERHOPE collection.

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KRISTELL BERNAUD

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French documentary team, Alexis Orand and Kristell Bernaud interviewing Jimmy “Duck” Holmes outside of his Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Mississippi.

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influence and how the Mississippi River played an integral part in his stories. Le blues coule dans les veines du Mississippi Invitation as Voyage delves deep into the blues that came from the Delta and has been transported all over Europe and beyond, by not only blues musicians but rock-n-roll bands such as the Rolling Stones and others. We had a wonderful time out on the Mississippi River filming and talking as I tried to explain the influence of the great river on Faulkner’s work. And on their next trip we spent time in my boat in the beautiful cathedral of cypress trees on Lake Washington as I explained the importance of the land and waters of the Delta to the history and culture of the blues. We then spent a laid-back afternoon at Jimmy “Duck” Holmes’s Blue Front Café in Bentonia as he was recorded singing and talking about the blues. Twice I received phone calls from Augsburg, Germany, on the two different documentaries, “Hank, you are on television in Germany!!!”

From the Lowlands of the Netherlands French videographer, Alexis Orand, reacts as Burdine explains the significance of the Mississippi River to Faulkner's work. Scene taken at Belmont Plantation, Wayside, Mississippi.

Burdine and Netherlander Irene Smits at the Shackup Inn before embarking on a “Mississippi Delta Magical Mystery Tour.”

During a recent trip to the Shackup Inn in Clarksdale, I noticed a young couple walking around looking at things, and, being the curious guy that I am, I hollered, “Hey, y’all, where you from? Come over here and let’s visit.” They had traveled from the Netherlands where he was a drummer in a blues band. She had striking fluorescent pink hair and an effervescence that exuberated itself. We became fast friends, and I invited them to come stay in my guest house as we took off on a two-day magical mystery tour throughout the Delta where I learned as much from his deep knowledge of the bluesmen as he did from me of the places, history, and culture of the blues. Upon leaving, Tom and Irene Smits posted on his social media page for all his friends back home, “Unfortunately, yesterday we left the Delta behind us. Hank Burdine was kind enough to take us in for two days, and we saw a lot of cool things, and we made the full Delta blues experience. It was an honor to have met this man, and we are very grateful to him. Without him we could not have seen half of what we have now.” The honor was mine, my sweet European friends.

Pals Jimmy “Duck” Holmes and Burdine at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia.

Mediterranean Albania and the Depths of Russia One day last summer, my sister Jane Rule Burdine called and said a dear friend had referred to her a high fashion designer from Albania, now living and working in South Beach Miami, and her Russian photographer wanting to come in for a photo shoot on a special collection designed and made to be shot in the Mississippi Delta. Together they had been working on a dream for two years yet did not know how they were going to pull the shoot off. What could I do to help? Well, I told her to bring them on as October was fast approaching, and the cotton was soon to be harvested. We went on a location scouting mission the first day and spent the next two days shooting unbelievable scenes and dresses that adorned an absolutely stunning young model from Columbus, Mississippi. It was pure unadulterated magic as the shots developed and the sky and cloud cover changed. Natasha, the photographer, commented on more than one occasion, “The Lord provides, and Hank takes us there.”

The Delta The Delta has been described as “the most Southern place on Earth,” and it may very well be. It is also one of the homiest places where everyone is a friend and there are no closed doors. Arms and hearts are wide open to anyone from elsewhere wanting to come visit and to learn, to experience the lure, culture, and history, and to be a part of what is not a secret anymore. The Delta IS, and it is HOT! DM

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GET WARM & COZY

FOOD

Comfort Food Recipes for Dark Winter Days

It’s January, and the holidays are officially over; it is frigid outside, and it gets dark by 5 o’clock. One of the best ways to ward off the winter doldrums is to drown yourself with lots of comfort food. Warm-ups and Netflix help too, but these recipes will fill your belly and warm your heart. There will be plenty to share, so invite your friends or make school nights a little easier in the weeks to come by dividing and freezing for later. BY CINDY COOPWOOD AND CORDELIA CAPPS • PHOTOGRAPHY BY WILL JACKS

Tip: Keep it simple by using

ready-made refrigerated mashed potatoes such as Bob Evans or Country Crock brands.

See recipe on page 124 120 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

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A simple salad and a baguette are all that’s needed to complete these winter meals.

SAUSAGE STUFFED SHELLS IN MARINARA 1 24-ounces marinara sauce, your favorite recipe or quality store-bought 1 pound bulk Italian sausage 2 cups fresh spinach 3 cloves finely chopped garlic 1 pound jumbo shells, cooked al dente 15 ounces ricotta 1 egg ¼ cup parmesan grated cheese additional parmesan, shredded olive oil salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pour marinara sauce in a 9 x 13 dish, reserving a little for topping, if desired. Cook sausage over medium heat. When sausage is mostly browned, add spinach and garlic. Cook until spinach is wilted and remove from heat. In a large mixing bowl, stir together ricotta, parmesan, and egg. Add sausage and spinach into ricotta and stir until evenly distributed. Fill cooked pasta shells with 3-4 tablespoons of filling. Arrange shells in marinara sauce in a 9x13 baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes covered with aluminum foil followed by 15 minutes uncovered. Top with a dollop of additional sauce and sprinkle with parmesan. Serves 3 to 4

Tip: Keep jars of quality pasta sauces on hand for quick and tasty meals. Our favorite marinara is by Rao’s. You’d never guess it’s not homemade!

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Tip: Short on time? Shredded rotisserie chickens are readily available

and work beautifully in most recipes that call for cooked chicken.

Editor’s Note: We find that cheese will mix into recipes and melt better when hand-grated. But when in a pinch for time, packaged grated cheese certainly comes in handy.

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CHICKEN HUNTINGTON This weeknight staple is a favorite of food contributor Cordelia Capps and is a great recipe to divide into smaller portions to share or freeze, as we did (above) in a small dish for two. 4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts 4 to 5 cups water seasoned with 1½ teaspoons salt, or can use chicken broth 1 cup chopped onion 1 cup chopped bell pepper 2 cups chopped celery 4 tablespoons olive oil 12 ounce bag wide egg noodles

½ 1 1 1 1 1 1

pound sharp cheddar, grated can cream of mushroom soup cup sliced fresh mushrooms (baby Bellas) large jar roasted red peppers, chopped teaspoon creole seasoning teaspoon salt teaspoon black pepper

Place chicken in a large pot and cover with seasoned water or chicken broth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and cover. Allow chicken to cook until heated through, about 25 minutes. Remove chicken from water, allow to cool and shred. Boil noodles in remaining seasoned water. Drain when cooked to al dente, reserving some of the water (about 1 cup) to moisten casserole if needed. Saute’ onion, celery and bell pepper in oil until tender. Mix the chicken, noodles and all remaining ingredients in a large bowl. If too dry add some of the reserved water. Pour into a greased 13x9 dish. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes.

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CHICKEN AND SPINACH ENCHILADAS Add your favorite condiments and a simple side such as black beans or rice for a hearty meal that will feed a crowd! 8 chicken breast halves, skinned 4 to 5 cups water seasoned with 1½ teaspoons salt, or can use chicken broth 1½ teaspoons salt 2 10-ounce packages, frozen chopped spinach 1 tablespoons butter, melted ¾ cup milk 3 4-ounce cans diced green chiles, drained 3 cups (12-ounce block) shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided 16 flour tortillas 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup chopped onion 1 can cream of chicken soup 24 ounces sour cream

Place chicken in a dutch oven; add salt and water to cover. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat, and simmer 30 to 40 minutes or until tender. Remove chicken and let cool slightly, dice and set aside. Cook spinach according to package directions; drain well, reserving 1 cup spinach broth. Saute’ onion in a large skillet until tender. Stir in spinach and chicken. In a separate bowl, combine soup, reserved spinach broth, milk, green chiles, sour cream and half of cheese in a bowl; mix well. Stir half of sauce into spinach and chicken mixture. Reserve remaining sauce. Spoon chicken mixture evenly down the center of each tortilla; roll up tortillas and place seam down in two lightly greased 13x9 baking dishes. Spoon remaining sauce over tortillas. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, bake an additional 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Casseroles freeze well. If frozen, allow to thaw prior to baking.

Optional toppings • Chopped avocado • Tomatoes • Cilantro • Sour cream • Salsa

Enjoy one, freeze one—this recipes makes two 13 x 9 casseroles. DELTA MAGAZINE 2019

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INDIVIDUAL SHEPHERD’S PIES Garlic Mashed Potatoes 4 medium to large Russet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1-inch chunks 5 whole garlic cloves, peeled and smashed 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup milk 6 tablespoons better salt and pepper

Meat filling 3 1½ 3 ¾ 2 3 2 1 3 1½ 1 ½ ¼ ½

Tip: For an interesting presentation

arrange salad down the length of a wooden board, layering ingredients as desired for color.

SIMPLEST SALAD 1 ½ 1 3 20 1 2

head butter lettuce, leaves separated head of green leaf lettuce head of radicchio, leaves separated green onions, thinly sliced at an angle radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced cup sundried tomato halves, sliced tablespoons capers

Dressing 2 garlic cloves crushed 4 tablespoons lemon juice ½ cup olive oil salt and pepper to taste

In a small bowl whisk all dressing ingredients together, season generously with salt and pepper. Wash and dry lettuce keeping pieces whole for presentation, if desired. Place in a large bowl adding remaining ingredients. Just before serving pour dressing over salad and toss gently. Just before serving sprinkle with capers. 124 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

tablespoons olive oil cups frozen pearl onions, halved cloves garlic thinly sliced cups chopped celery cups chopped fresh mushrooms tablespoons flour pounds ground beef salt and pepper to taste cup beef broth tablespoons tomato paste teaspoons dried thyme teaspoon red pepper flakes cup chopped parsley cup grated Parmesan cheese cup grated cheddar cheese

In a saucepan, combine potatoes and garlic cloves; cover with water by 1 inch. Add 1 tablespoon salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes are easily pierced with a knife, 25 to 30 minutes. Drain; return garlic and potatoes to same pan. In a small saucepan, heat milk and butter till very warm and butter melts. Season potatoes with additional teaspoon of salt and slowly pour in warm milk and butter into potatoes (not using all at once). Mash or process until smooth or desired consistency, using remaining milk if necessary. Set aside. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Saute onions in olive oil in a large skillet, cover and steam until they begin to soften, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, celery and mushrooms. Cook until they begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir 1 tablespoon flour into the vegetables and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Add meat, breaking it up and seasoning with salt and pepper, cooking until browned. Add broth, tomato paste, thyme and red pepper flakes and bring to a boil. Lower heat and allow to simmer until sauce thickens. Stir in ½ cup parsley and remaining flour. Pour filling into a deep pie dish, casserole or divide among 8 individual ramekins.Top filling with mashed potatoes. Bake 25 minutes or until potatoes begin to brown, watching carefully. DM

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Delta Magazine’s

2019 Dining & Restaurant Guide

TIME. TO. EAT.

BYOB

BRING YOUR BREAKFAST LUNCH DINNER BRUNCH RESERVATIONS FULL BAR OWN BOTTLE SERVED SERVED SERVED SERVED RECOMMENDED LIVE MUSIC CATERING FACEBOOK TWITTER INSTAGRAM

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dining & restaurant guide

FrEsH FoOd & CoFfEe In ThE HeArT Of ClArKsDaLe!

·¬ W W W . Y A

EsPrEsSo BrEaKfAsT LuNcH DiNnEr 207 YaZoO AvEnUe ClArKsDaLe, Ms

Save Ro o m Fo r D ess e rt For 50 years, The Crystal G Grill has been serving Delta classics to generations of families milies for lunch and dinner. The Crystal Grill is known for or its generous portions and legendary desserts. Locals know ow to save room for dessert. What will you try? OPEN TUESDAY - THURSDAY, SUND S AY 11 11:00 00 AM - 99:00 00 PM SATURDAY - SUNDAY 11:00 AM - 9:30 PM 662.453.6530 423 CARROLLTON AVENUE GREENWOOD, MISSISSIPPI facebook.com m/TheCry stalGrill

WwW.YaZoOpAsS.CoM

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dining & restaurant guide

Doe’s Eat Place

502 Nelson Street / Greenville / (662) 334-3315 / Paducah / (270) 443-9006 Monroe / (318) 737-7169 / Biloxi / (228) 271-6377 / doeseatplace.com People worldwide visit the Delta to hear the blues and to taste the savory steaks and hot tamales offered only at Doe’s Eat Place, family owned since 1941. First-time visitors entering through the front door are pleasantly surprised to find themselves in the kitchen. Family style, family welcomed, that’s the charm of having a Doe’s experience. Specialties are 2- to 3-pound steaks, homemade hot tamales, French fries from a cast iron skillet and Aunt Flo’s famous salad. Does’s Greenville open 5pm until. Closed Sunday. Hot tamales on sale from 9am to closing. New locations at Margaritaville Resort in Biloxi and in Monroe, Louisiana. Now open in Ridgeland and Springfield, Missouri. Coming soon to Florence, Mississippi. Franchises available. Call (662) 832-9003 or (662) 822-2689.

BYOB RR

Fat Baby’s Catfish House

3670 Highway 61 / Cleveland / (662) 721-9001 fatbabyscatfishhouse.com Fat Baby’s serves the best fried or grilled catfish, shrimp, ribeyes, frog legs and catfish gumbo in the Delta. Our signature menu item is the famous catfish bread. You’ve got to try it! Fat Baby’s Catfish House only serves U.S. farm-raised catfish. Fat Baby’s on Highway 61 is a family-oriented, buffet-style restaurant, plus short-order items and take-out orders. Live entertainment Friday nights, 5pm to 8pm. We offer the best plate lunches for dine-in or take-out 7 days a week, 11am to 2:30pm and one of the biggest buffets of the best-prepared catfish and chicken in the Mississippi Delta.

Main Street Market

902 Cherry Street / Vicksburg / (601) 634-8088 mainstreetmarketcafe.com With deep roots, hospitality and the freshest food you can find, you don’t want to miss Main Street Market Cafe. Most of the food on the menu changes weekly to reflect seasonal and local offerings. Some things are just legendary — like Betty’s Biscuits. We are a from-scratch kitchen where you will find a fresh daily supply of quiches, soup, specials and pies. Our housemade ginger dressing is delicious. Try a Muffuletta topped with a New Orleans olive salad. Chicken and andouille gumbo is a local favorite.

BYOB RR

Giardina’s

314 Howard Street / Greenwood / (662) 455-4227 thealluvian.com/giardinas A legendary institution enjoyed by generations in the Delta, Giardina’s offers a well-tested menu dating from 1936. A unique blend of sophistication and warmth, Giardina’s is the perfect setting for any event. Seating includes fourteen private booths, a main dining area, and a bar that connects to The Alluvian Hotel. In addition to the steaks, seafood, and pastas from the founder’s native Italy, Giardina’s kitchen continues to offer innovative southern cuisine with the Chef Cameron Shaw’s ever-changing specials and menu creations. Giardina’s is open for dinner Monday through Saturday from 5pm to 10pm.

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dining & restaurant guide

NOW SE ERVING SATURDA S T Y BRUNCH 10AM M to 2PM

Located in Historic Downtown Greenwood, Station 222 Restaurant staurant offfers fers a one of a kind dining experience with delicious menu m options, including steak & seafood, as well as a full bar arr.. 222 Howard Street, Greenwood 662 374 5086 • station222r 662-374-5086 t ti 222 estaurant.com t t

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

2019 Health, Beauty and Wellness

Start the new year off right with these health care providers

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GO WITH YOUR GUT DIGESTIVE AND LIVER DISEASES • ENDOSCOPY INCLUDING COLONOSCOPY AND EGD S. Todd Threadgill, MD • John H. Webb, MD • David I. Bridgers III, MD • Ernest Q. Williams, MD • Henry P. Johnson Jr., MD Bridgett T. Green, MSN, NP-C • Carah L. Walker, RN, MSN, CFNP

OXFORD • GRENADA • NEW ALBANY • 662.234.9888 • ONETRACTMINDS.COM

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Get trreated d. Not se eated d. When fast fast matters, come to Bolivar Medical Center. Yo ou’ll see a

provider ffast ast because we haave some of the lowest wait times in the region.* Our dediccated eemergency care team staands ready 24/7 to provide you w with qu uality care when you neeed it most. We’ll get you treated, not seeated.

Check ou ur ER wait times at Boliva arMedical.com

*Faster than state and national averagee as found on medicare.gov/hosp pitalcompare

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P. O. Box 117 Cleveland, MS 38732

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HISTORY

Paxton and Chick, sharing a laugh with Larry Pryor and RAF pilot Dick Goodwin

THE GENERALS A salute to

Soldiers of different eras represented the Delta and country with dignity, respect, and greatness BY NOEL WORKMAN • PHOTOS COURTESY OF GREENVILLE MUSEUM

140 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

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Left to right, Delta Democrat-Times editor Hodding Carter, General Gabe Disosway, Col. John Chick, General A. G. Paxton

“GREENVILLE WOULD BE INTERESTING TO STUDY,” SUGGESTED HISTORIAN SHELBY FOOTE. “It has produced more published writers, for example, than Memphis, which is many times its size,” said the Greenville native made famous by Ken Burns on PBS, talking of Civil War battles and Civil War generals. As with its long list of authors, Greenville has had more generals per capita than any other Delta town, or even Memphis. Many remember Galla Paxton, ending his military career with three stars on each shoulder. But how many can name Greenville’s four other generals? Ranking only one star behind Lieutenant General Paxton are Major Generals Albert Lake, Jim Lipscomb, and Sam Fleming. Also on the list is Brigadier General John Chick. Although their careers overlapped, each general has a significantly different story to tell. Lieutenant General Alexander Gallatin Paxton The Greenville general with the deepest Delta roots undoubtedly was Galla Paxton. His father and namesake, born near Arcola, served throughout the Civil War in the supply department of Lee’s Army. Beginning with the 1896 birth of Galla Paxton, Greenville has always been the home of at least one general (or future general). Often there were several at the same time. It was no surprise when Paxton attended Washington and Lee, graduating in 1917 as America prepared to enter Europe’s Great War. Accepted as an officer in the Field Artillery, First Lieutenant Paxton was soon on duty with an artillery unit near Vannes, France. “I was hardly dry behind the ears and

commanding a battery of artillery in France,” he wrote in his biography Three Wars and a Flood. Following the armistice he shipped home, returning as Captain Paxton, and began classing cotton in Greenville with Hubert Crosby. Once confident he had mastered this important Delta skill, he founded A. G. Paxton Cotton Company, a domestic export cotton shipping business. In 1926 Paxton was commissioned in the Mississippi National Guard, commanding a Greenville-based howitzer battery housed in an unused section of the Delta Compress building. Within a year he was promoted to major. As a lieutenant colonel, he was ordered to active duty during the 1927 flood, the Delta’s worst disaster. “That first day he (LeRoy Percy), Will (Percy), Billy Wynn and DELTA MAGAZINE 2019

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Upon his return to the United States, Paxton was back in civilian life, but in 1946 he was appointed brigadier general in the Mississippi National Guard and named commander of the 31st Dixie Division. In 1948 he was promoted to major general when the unit was ordered back to active duty and federalized in 1951 for the Korean conflict. In 1958 Galla Paxton Day in Greenville included a final review of his Dixie Division troops as he retired with forty-one years of service and a third star pinned on his shoulders making him the Mississippi National Guard’s first-ever lieutenant general. He died in 1974.

Major General James Albert Lake

Albert and Jennie Lake at the 1963 Armed Forces Day banquet at Greenville Air Force Base.

Paxton decided to declare ‘voluntary’ martial Law,” wrote John Barry in Rising Tide. “They had no legal authority to do so,” Berry wrote. Commanding the National Guard troops in Greenville, Paxton declared, “We expect to hold the levee.” No such luck. But the flood waters finally subsided. Life in the Delta returned to normal. And Paxton returned to his cotton shipping firm and was promoted to colonel in 1933 as Greenville’s National Guard unit expanded. He was still in command of the 114th when the 31st Infantry Division was called into federal service in 1940. With another world war on the horizon, Deltans signed up for service under Paxton. Among them was Delta Democrat-Times editor Hodding Carter. His wife Betty encountered Galla in full regalia, puttees in particular, and loudly exclaimed (in a crowded room), “Oh Galla, you are so cute!” “Being a pompous man at best, he was not amused,” recalls her son Hodding III. “All National Guard units had been federalized before Pearl Harbor, and in late 1940 we moved to Camp Blanding, Florida, which was just being built,” recalls Paxton’s son Robert Gallatin Paxton. “I was in the fifth grade, and we all lived in tents, a frame tent, but a tent nevertheless.” The general and his family moved with his unit. He was commander of Camp Atterbury, Indiana, and several others before he departed for the Pacific in mid-1943. General Paxton’s unit served in New Guinea and other Pacific islands including Luzon with MacArthur’s liberation of the Philippines.

Albert Lake was considered “a man of high moral character, a man of strong convictions and a man who never asked more from others than he was willing to give himself,” wrote Delta Democrat-Times reporter Sandra McIntire after interviewing many who knew him best. Albert Lake (He never used James) was a Greenville native who took leadership positions early, as class president for his four years at Greenville High and as ROTC cadet battalion commander his senior year at Davidson College. Soon after his Harvard Law School graduation, he joined the Greenville law firm of Billy Wynn and Jerome Hafter, becoming a partner in 1934. The firm became Wynn, Hafter, Lake, and Tindall two years later. Prior to World War II, Lake participated in a series of war games at Fort Polk, Louisiana, along with George S. Patton, Omar Bradley, and Dwight Eisenhower. As a lieutenant colonel, Lake commanded the 1st Battalion, 114th Field Artillery Regiment and was inducted into the Army and sent overseas in 1944. Lake participated in MacArthur’s return to the Philippines and was preparing for the invasion of Japan when the war ended. That year he was promoted to colonel, and the following year Lake was promoted to brigadier general in the reorganized 31st “Dixie” Division. In 1950 the division prepared for the Korean War but never left the states. Retiring from the service, he received his second star, making him a major general. “But he was proudest of his first star because he said it was something he felt he had earned for service to his country,” said law partner Charles Tindall III. Lake’s “one star” flag was always displayed in his office. Lake rarely met a Greenville leadership position that he couldn’t fill: Rotary Club, Chamber of Commerce, Industrial Foundation, American Legion commander, bank board director, and Greenville City Attorney. The list was a long one. He was elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives in 1932 and then two terms in the state senate. Tempted as he may have been, Lake declined to succeed Congressman William Whittington, federal district court judge Allen Cox, or a number of other high visibility legal positions. Perhaps his lone defeat was losing an election as senior warden of St. James Episcopal Church to Jack Baskin. Although he retired from active practice in 1984, he continued to use his office at Lake, Tindall, Hunger, and Thackston until shortly before his death in 1997.

Major General James H. Lipscomb III Left to right, Dan Smythe of Leland, General (then colonel) John Chick and Boy Scout Executive Director Chuck Thomas presenting achievement award to Chick for leading Air Scouts at Greenville Air Force Base. 142 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

In 2000 Jim Lipscomb was named adjutant general of the Mississippi National Guard by Governor Ronnie Musgrove. In that

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position, Lipscomb served as commander of the military department of Mississippi, which includes the Army National Guard, Air National Guard, and the Mississippi State Guard; he also served as a member of the governor’s Cabinet. As adjutant general he was responsible for organizing, training, and equipping the more than thirteen thousand citizen soldiers and airmen of Mississippi’s National Guard to perform its federal and state missions. By the time of his selection as adjutant general, Lipscomb had “an extensive, impressive military career with the Mississippi National Guard,” said Governor Musgrove. “His military education and experiences coupled with his business background will serve our Guard well as we continue to strengthen and prepare Major General our forces to serve and protect our James H. Lipscomb III nation,” the governor said. Lipscomb began his career in 1961 when he enlisted in the 1st Battalion, 114th Field Artillery. He retired in 2004. He’s received numerous awards including the Army Distinguished Service Medal. “We’re twelfth in the nation in size with twenty-eight million people in our state,” he said, “and I think that just demonstrates that the people in Mississippi want to be a part of the military and want to serve our country.” During his tenure as adjutant general, the Mississippi National Guard saw the largest mobilization and deployment of soldiers overseas since the Korean War. He received his first star in 1991 and was promoted to major general in 2001. His final assignment was as Mississippi’s adjutant general. Born in Hattiesburg, Lipscomb graduated from Greenwood High School in 1961 and from Mississippi State University in 1965 with a bachelor of science degree from the College of Business and Industry. Today General Lipscomb is president of Lipscomb Oil Company and Lipscomb Transports in Greenville.

Major General Samuel E. Fleming, Jr. A lot more Deltans knew this Greenville officer by his nickname (Skeeter) than by General Fleming’s stars on his uniform. Born in Morgan City, he was raised in Greenville. A photo from the 1947 edition of the Black & Gold yearbook for Bass Senior High School labeled Skeeter as the “cutest boy.” He was a full-time employee of the Mississippi Army National Guard for four decades. An honor graduate of the Command General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, Fleming earned his first general’s star in 1984 while commanding the 155th Armored Brigade and serving as assistant division commander of the First Cavalry Division. He was commander when the brigade served as a “round out” unit for the active duty 1st Cavalry Major General Division based at Fort Hood Texas. Samuel Ernest Fleming Jr.

Fleming had previously served as a Cavalry executive officer in the mid-to-late 1970s before moving to its headquarters in Tupelo. In 1987 he was placed on the retired list as major general. Following his retirement, he developed Tupelo’s Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. He died in 2017.

Brigadier General John Holiday Chick Unlike all of Greenville’s other generals, John Chick did it the hard way. No Delta native, he was born in Yankee land (Michigan) and spent only a few active duty years in Mississippi. John Chick began his military career in 1934 as a lieutenant in the Organized Reserve Corps, transferring to the Air National Guard months after World War II began. Like so many of his fellow Army Air Corps pilots, he swiftly rose in the ranks (captain and major in 1942) ending the war as a lieutenant colonel after flying sixtytwo combat missions in the Pacific. Postwar, John Chick (now USAF Colonel Chick) was stationed in France and Germany and in 1954 got his first taste of Mississippi life as commander of Greenville Air Force Base. Months earlier, instruction began there as a full-fledged Air Training Command basic single-engine pilot training school, flying T-28 Trojans. Colonel Chick guided Greenville Air Brigadier General Force Base as it changed to T-33 John Holiday Chick Shooting Star jet trainers in 1955 and remained as GAFB commander during the most productive time of the Delta’s jet training days. To accommodate the jet fighters, the length of the runway was extended to seven thousand feet before Greenville’s pilot training program was discontinued in 1960. John Chick was a Greenvillian by choice, returning to the Delta upon his 1964 retirement. “His love was golf…golf and duck hunting with Larry Pryor,” recalls his son Jim, former manager of WABG-TV and now a Memphis-based broadcasting executive. “His Greenville buddies were Pryor, Lewis Farr, and Jim Robertshaw.” “Nothing pleased him more than retirement in this duck hunting part of the world and employment as manager of Greenville’s airport, the place where he had served as its commanding officer,” his son recalls. “My folks were very social people, which worked well for a senior officer, and certainly fit in to the Delta’s social scene. They had a wide circle of friends, coming in and out of our Greenville home all the time,” he said. Sadly, his Delta retirement days were numbered, and he died less than two years later after his return to Greenville. In a rare display of in-service brotherhood, the Reverend Pat Sanders, a former combat Marine pilot and rector of St. James Episcopal Church in Greenville, pinned his Marine service ribbons on his church vestments to conduct the general’s funeral. Despite the international conflicts that were the backdrop to the careers of these generals, it was a time when dedicated service to the protection of an ideal was highly prized. The times were a crucible for forming men of valor, bravery, and self-sacrifice. When the conflicts were over, these men returned and made Greenville a better place. DM DELTA MAGAZINE 2019

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EVENTS

Willie Nelson & Family, January 5 in Memphis

FESTIVALS, MUSIC & FUN THINGS TO DO

Kiss, February 23 in Memphis

January 4, 7 pm

February 1, 4 pm

Cleveland

January 24-27

Oxford

Boy Scout Night featuring Sam Mooney

9th Annual Fiber Arts Festival

Spring Arts Festival

Grammy Museum Mississippi

The Powerhouse oxfordarts.com

Ocean Springs Chamber

January 5

February 2

Memphis

Willie Nelson & Family

January 24, 8 pm

Orpheum Theater

Blackberry Smoke

Oxford

February 5, 7:30 pm

Southaven

Kane Brown: Live Forever Tour

January 25-26

Landers Center

9th Annual Clarksdale Film Festival

January 19-20, 8 pm

Harry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone in Concert

The Beach Boys Bologna Performing Arts Center

January 26

Memphis

FedEx Forum

Cleveland

January 31-February 3

Cirque Du Soleil: Corteo FedEx Forum

Oxford

Various locations oxfordfilmfest.com

February 8

Mary Wilson in Concert

FedEx Forum

January 24, 7:30 pm

Jackson

Downtown Jackson

Justin Timberlake: Man of the Woods Tour

February 6-10

16th Annual Oxford Film Fest

Mississippi Blues Marathon Memphis

Cleveland

Kinky Boots Bologna Performing Arts Center

clarksdalefilmfestival.com

January 26, 7 am

Thalia Mara Hall

January 22, 7:30 pm

Clarksdale

New Roxy and Grandma’a Sports Bar Jackson

Memphis

Jim Brickman: Share the Love Orpheum Theater

The Lyric

January 18, 7 pm

Ocean Springs

Orpheum Theater

February 8 Memphis

Memphis

Glenn Miller Orchestra Tunica Resorts

Jonny Lang Horseshoe Casino

February 9, 7 pm

Southaven

Kelly Clarkson: Meaning of Life Tour Landers Center

February 9

Tunica Resorts

Bill Engvall Gold Strike Casino Resort

February 9

Memphis

Dancing with the Stars: Live! Orpheum Theater

February 15

Tunica Resorts

3 Doors Down Acoustic: Back Porch Jam Horseshoe Casino

February 16, 1 pm

Ocean Springs

Ocean Springs Elks Parade Downtown Ocean Springs 144 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

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February 22

Tunica Resorts

Buddy Guy & Mavis Staples Horseshoe Casino

February 23-24

Jackson

60th Gem, Mineral, Fossil & Jewelry Show Mississippi Trade Mart

Nick Petrie

Bluff City: The Secret Life of Photographer Ernest Withers

Tear it Down

January 15, 5 pm: Square Books, Oxford January 16, 5 pm: Lemuria Books, Jackson

Memphis

Kiss: End of the Road Tour FedEx Forum

Tunica Resorts

George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic

Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love January 29, 5 pm: Square Books, Oxford

February 26, 7:30 pm

Sugar Run

Chris Cander

January 15, 5 pm: Lemuria Books, Jackson January 16, 12 pm: Turnrow Books, Greenwood January 16, 5 pm: Square Books, Oxford

The Weight of a Piano January 30, 5 pm: Lemuria Books, Jackson January 31, 6 pm: Thacker Mountain Radio, Oxford R. J. Lee

Ted Ownby

Gold Strike Casino Resort

Cleveland

The Wizard of Oz Bologna Performing Arts Center

February 26, 7:30 pm

Oxford

Cirque Eloize Saloon: A Musical Acrobatic Adventure Ford Center for the Performing Arts fordcenter.org

BOOK SIGNINGS Michelle A. Purdy

Transforming the Elite January 5, 4 pm: Lemuria Books, Jackson

January 23, 5 pm: Square Books, Oxford Dani Sharpiro

Mesha Maren

February 23, 7:30 pm

February 23

Preston Lauterback

Grand Slam Murders

Hurtin’ Words: Debating Family Problems in the 20th Century South

January 30, 5 pm: Square Books, Oxford Snowden Wright

American Pop

January 22, 5 pm: Square Books, Oxford Katie McKee

Reading Reconstruction: Sherwood Bonner & the Literature of the Post-Civil War South January 22, 5 pm: Square Books, Oxford

February 5, 5 pm: Lemuria Books, Jackson February 7, 6 pm: Thacker Mountain Radio, Oxford Valeria Luiselli

Lost Children Archive February 14, 5 pm: Lemuria Books, Jackson

Jessie Wilkerson

To Live Here, You Have to Fight: How Women Led Appalachian Movements for Social Justce January 22, 5 pm: Square Books, Oxford

FUN FILLED EXCURSION

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BLUES

Rent a room overnight at the fabulous and funky Ground Zero Blues Club Apartments located upstairs. Ground Zero is recognized as the #1 Blues Club in the nation by BestBluesClubs.org Fodor’s Travel Guide puts Clarksdale as the #1 Music City in America outside of Nashville. American Airlines Platinum Group of Experts coupled with a world wide vote puts GZBC in the Top 3 Best Live Music venues in the world along with a club in New York and New Orleans.

CALL FOR RESERVATIONS

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Dr. Lance Johnso on is the gran a dson of this clinic's fo ou under. His gran ndfather began this dentistry business in 19333. Both his son and Dr. Lance Johnson carrried on the fami a ly name in the dental arts. Dr. Joh hnson graduatted from the Un niversity of Missi s ssippi and remai m ned in the local area to serve his loyal pati a ents. If he's not working on your teeth, he's spend ding time hunting with his two sons.

Dr. Hamilton M. Brown grew up in Greenwood. He spent his college years at the University of Mississippi graduating Magna Cum Laude in 2011. Dr. Brown w graduated from the University of Mississippi Medical Center School of Dentistry in 2015. He and his wife Lindsay have made their home in Cleveland. Dr. Brrown enjoys the outdoors, trav a eling, playing sports, reading and spending time with his family

Meeet O Our Doctoors Dr.. Tom Wiggins graduated fro om the University of Mississippi School of Dentistry in 1980. 1 He went on to complete a one year post graduatte training in gen neral dentistry at the Easstman Dental Center loca c ted in Rochester, New York. He and his wife, Sussan, enjoy spending time at the lake with their two dogs, Henry and Sam.

Dr. Ashley Greco Peyton grew up in Greenville. She went to Mississippi Statte Universiity where she grad duated in 2014 2 and attended dental school at University of Mississippi Medical Centerr. She recently married Harriso on Peyton, and they are looking forward to making Clevelan a d their home. She enjoys playying with her dog Jax, spending time with her family and friends, an nd traveling.

Serving the Delta in two locations

910 Medallion Drive

1313 HWY 8 West

Greenwood, MS 38930

Cleveland, MS 38732

6622-455-9149

662-843-83553

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The 2018 Kappa Alpha Irwin Province Court of Honor at the Fairview Inn in Jackson on October 11 Photos by Jenny Woodruff

DELTA SEEN

Dr. Darden North, Jon Crosby Turner and Don Parsons

New Members of the Kappa Alpha Iriwn Province Court of Honor seated, left to right, O'Keefe Graham (Ole Miss), Don Parsons (Ole Miss), Kappa Alpha Knight Commander Darren Kay (Westminster), Jim Brown (Millsaps) and Mike Carter (Millsaps). Standing, left to right, Cal Mayo (Ole Miss), Bob Ridgway (Millsaps), Bill Luckett (Virginia), Bill Ridgway (Ole Miss) and Andrew Bush (MSU)

Taylor and Catherine Sledge

Trey Horne, O’Keefe Graham, Al Hopkins and Bubba Simmons, Wesley Rule and Darren Kay Gray Wiggers

Whitney and Hunter Lipscomb with Al Hopkins

David and Brooks Krouse

Scott Coopwood, John McCarthy, Darren Kay, Dr. Jason Barrett, Jon Turner, Judge Swan Yerger and Bubba Simmons

Darren Kay awards a Knight Commander's Accolade to former Province Commander Dr. Jason Barrett

Leila Lane, Melissa Applewhite and Alice Jean Hawkins DELTA MAGAZINE 2019

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DELTA SEEN

Thacker Mountain Radio Season Finale at The Lyric in Oxford on November 15

Ralph Eubanks, Ken McGraw and Jo Ann O'Quinn

August and John Martin

Cindy Coopwood, Jim Dees, Scott Coopwood, Beth Ann Fennelly and Dorothy Howorth

Jeff Dennis, Kieran Danielson and Clay Jones

Photos by Randall Haley

Bob Dowell and Eden Brent

Mary Ann and Farish Percy

Harrison Scott Key and Hank Burdine

Lucy Burnham and Sam Cox

Jeffrey Reed

Ellis Stubbs, Paul Eric Lessan and Angela Weeks

Neil White, Jo Ann O’Quinn and Ken McGraw

Kathryn James, Ben Branson and Brendan Ryan

148 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

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DELTA SEEN

A Child’s Dream at the Bologna Performing Arts Center in Cleveland on November 30

Clint, Anna, Tiffanie and Colin Russell

Bailee Goss and Ally Powell Howarth

Ashley Stewart, Patricia Beckett and Allie Soliz

Amber Smith, Haley Kelly, David Mullen, Heather Short and Melody Salley

Beth and Hannah Kelly

Amy and Adriene Martinez

Nott Wheeler and Marcia Wheeler Houser

Emory Davis and David Mullen

Hunter, Emma, Debbie and John Abide

Zoie Murphree and Clay Taylor

Travis Coopwood and Jane Ellen Warlick

Ava and Brian Ware

Gary and Becky Garrett, Tracy Bell, Ariel Buckner and Gerald and Jackie Finley Warren Bell

Jude, Meredith and Hal Van Namen

DELTA MAGAZINE 2019

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DELTA SEEN

Buddy and Mary Lynn Powers

David Weitzman

Jeff Dennis, Kieran Danielson and Clay Jones

Joe Bailey

Gwin Buford

Cassidy Bayou Gallery

David Weitzman, Buford Anderson and Gail Boland 150 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

Christmas Art Opening at Cassidy Bayou Gallery in Sumner on December 1 Photos by Staci Lewis

Malvina Martin and Sylvia Murphey

Gwin Buford and Gail Boland

Larry Heard

Polly Bailey and Buford Anderson

Desaix Anderson

Gail Boland and Langdon Clay

Joe and Polly Bailey

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A selection of photos from Delta Magazine Readers

DELTA SEEN

John Lewis and Norman Adcox at the newly opened Sea Level Oyster House in Cleveland

Bob Eley, Hilda and Kirk Povall, Dinesh Chawla and Bill Dossett at the Delta Arts Alliance

Charles Schwab CEO Walt Bettinger with Keith Fulcher of Delta State

Kris and Tonya Blakely with Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers holding the guitar once owned by Paul Kossoff of the iconic band, Free

Rebecca Turner hosted Frances Varner during her “Good Things Radio Show” on SuperTalk Mississippi

Amanda Taylor with her copy of Delta Magazine

Lila Sessums, Derek Miles, Leigh Bailey, Sykes Sturdivant, Kate Morrison and Linda Bussey

Ellen Meacham signing her book, Delta Epiphany at the Mick Jagger and Judith Coghlan Museum of the Mississippi Delta in Greenwood Lewis

Cindy Coopwood, Heather Lolley and Julia Reed

Kanice and Kent Wyatt with Cissye and Billy Mounger DELTA MAGAZINE 2019

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Thefinalword The Mississippi Delta will always be home

Martha Scott Poindexter Guenther grew up on May Day Plantation in Morgan City. After graduating from Mississippi State University she moved to Washington, DC where she has held many positions on Capitol Hill. In 2014, Martha joined Bunge North America as Vice President, Government & Industry affairs. She now lives in Alexandria, Virginia, with her husband, Robert Guenther.

As many of us plan for the new year, it is often with a sigh of relief that we put the past year behind us. For me it always depends how I fared that year. 2018 was a great year for me, and the main reason it was such a fantastic year is I came home many times to visit my family and friends throughout the year. This time spent in Mississippi was wildly indulgent compared to past years. Home? It’s a bit funny that I still call the Delta home as I have lived in the Washington, DC, area for twenty-nine years this January. I left home when I was only twenty-three to work for Senator Thad Cochran. But Mississippi is home, specifically the Delta, and my Delta roots are strong. My parents along with my extended family reside in the Delta along with many of my lifelong friends. I am often asked where I am from because after anyone has spoken with me 152 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

for more than a second, they can usually detect my Southern accent. Once people discover I’m from Mississippi, they usually ask from where in Mississippi. I am usually skeptical that the said person knows anything about Mississippi because most tell me they have only passed through the state! But I never give my town—it is always the “Mississippi Delta.” This warrants more questions of which I am pleased to oblige with more Delta speak. Many think it’s a bit odd I have kept my accent after being gone so long. I owe it to working with Southerners for many years in the US Senate, fellow Mississippians and Georgians. I rarely think about my accent unless someone makes a comment or I am teased about my pronunciation of a random word. When I worked with colleagues from across the country, they noticed how I sounded more Southern after returning from Mississippi. I always bring a bit of home back with me! In December, I was home for over a week at Christmas. My family is a bit unusual in that we actually enjoy spending time with each other! Every Christmas the Poindexter family holds a Christmas Eve party. The tradition began with my great grandparents hosting the annual holiday party at Hollywood, their family home in Inverness. It has been held continuously for over seventy years. My parents along with my three aunts and uncles rotate hosting it in their homes now. My three sisters and I along with our individual families (seventeen in all) descend on my mother and father at Christmas staying in my parents’ house and a smaller guest house behind it. My nieces and nephews never want to miss the Christmas Eve party—it is about seeing all of the cousins, mind you second and third cousins removed, and their great aunts and uncles. The Mississippi Delta is beloved by my nieces and nephews. Reasons abound when

BY MARTHA SCOTT POINDEXTER GUENTHER

I ask them what comes to mind when they think of the Delta. Their grandparents are at the top of the list, of course, along with spending time with family. It’s the family traditions we have established over the years, with the Christmas Eve party at the top of the list. Recently my husband, Robert and I went to an anniversary party in Alexandria, Virginia, where we met a couple who also live in Alexandria. The wife greeted us by introducing her husband “Chess,” a name which I noted for its unusualness, short for Rochester. As the conversation progressed, they asked where we were from originally. Chess and I were delighted to discover we both hailed from the Delta. We had never met each other in all the years we had lived in the DC area. As we began to play the game of “Do you happen to know…?” our spouses drifted off as we discovered many common friends. Chess mentioned two things that registered with me that night. First, you have to be from the Delta to truly understand the Delta. (His wife grew up in Boston; my husband is from Florida.) Secondly, only your dearest friends and family can draw you from a more pleasant climate (they summer in Rhode Island) to visit in August! If I can find any reason to visit home, I will do it unless it is in August! I confess a very special occasion with my dearest friends and family is the only draw for me in the heat of the summer. We all know that the Delta can be a conundrum for those who have not grown up here; although others who relocate to the Delta usually fall for it because it is such a welcoming place. As for 2019, I already have a trip planned home this January to celebrate a special occasion with one of my nieces. As I continue to sketch out the year, the plan is to make 2019 just as great a year as 2018, so I better get to planning many more trips home to the Mississippi Delta. DM

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