DeSoto Magazine October 2015

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October CONTENTS 2015 • VOLUME 12 • NO. 10

features 48 Glamping Camping with glamour

64 Mississippi’s falls Explore the Magnolia State’s waterfalls

56 Down River Find fun white water rafting

departments 14 Living Well A chat with Memphis’ Pam McKelvy

42 A Day Away Starkville, Mississippi

18 Notables Quackin’ with The Peabody’s Duckmaster

46 Greaters Goods

22 Exploring Art Wildlife photographer Rick DeStefanis 26 Exploring Books Guide books to guide by

72 Southern Harmony The sounds of Grits & Soul 74 Table Talk Memphis Barbecue Company

30 Into the Wild Where the wild things live

76 In Good Spirits Sinister cider cocktail

34 Exploring Cuisine Edibles in the wild

78 Exploring Events

38 Exploring Destinations Wine time in N.C.’s Yadkin Valley

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70 Homegrown Main Beam Knives

80 Reflections Collecting

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editor’s note }

october

Harvest time

It’s harvest time. It’s pumpkin time. And around here, it’s all about getting outdoors this month.

With so many of us working indoors behind computers today, the pull to get outdoors has never been more pursued by so many. And with so much romance--and advertising--behind the idea of the great outdoors, what could be simple recreation can easily grow into a complicated adventure. Which kayak is the best? Will this new hi-tech clothing really keep me warm? Do we go away to the mountains for a hike or just bike around the neighborhood? So many choices.

After a recent email exchange with Mary Jane Butters, one thing clearly remains a fact. When our pursuits feel more like a burden than fun, maybe it’s time to re-think that idea. Mary Jane coined the phrase ‘glamping’ and Debra explains it all on page 48. The bottomline? We can have the best of both worlds, a few comforts among a rugged landscape.

As I toured the Yadkin Valley this month in North Carolina, I couldn’t wait to get home and share their story. While this landscape’s charm lends a bucolic romance to the idea of winemaking, let’s face it, these folks are agriculturists at heart. They are outdoors, they have their hands in dirt, they are investing mountains of money into the whims of nature. How exciting and brave. Read on page 38 all about the award-winning

October 2015 • Vol. 12 No.10

PUBLISHER & CREATIVE DIRECTOR Adam Mitchell

PUBLISHER & ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Paula Mitchell

EDITOR Karen Ott Mayer

CONTRIBUTORS results bottled up in French and Italian wines.

Jill found another North Carolina-Mississippi connection when she tracked down Grits & Soul, originally from Mississippi and now in Asheville, North Carolina. It’s so exciting to see how Anna and her partner John Looney have musically matured and have garnered global attention.

Closer to home, Devin takes us to T he Peabody to meet T he Duckmaster--and his ducks. No worries.

They may be indoors, but they too return to the wilds in life.

Be like the ducks. When your work is done, find a hill or river or fireside friend and enjoy the great outdoors.

We won’t be far behind you.

Karen on the cover Ever the innovator, Idaho’s Mary Jane Butters coined the phrase ‘Glamping’, then went a step further to write a book called “Glamping with Mary Jane”. This month, her photography graces our front cover. For more about Mary Jane, visit wwwmaryjanesfarm.org.

Debra Pamplin Jill Gleeson J. Eric Eckard Robin Gallaher Branch Devin Greaney Chere Coen James Richardson Andrea Brown Ross Charlene Oldham Bobby L. Hickman

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living well }

pam mckelvy hamner

In Her Own Words

By Robin Gallaher Branch. Photography courtesy of Pam McKelvy Hamner

November is a special month for Pam McKelvy Hamner; it will mark the third year she is cancer free. Hamner, who was Miss Kansas in 1992 and third runner-up in the Miss America Pageant, is familiar to many Mid-South viewers as a WREG-TV Channel 3 and a WMC-TV Channel 5 news anchor and reporter. The Southaven, Mississippi resident celebrates her renewed health by singing and sharing her story. She is currently writing a book. She is a member of WINGS, a cancer survivor support group, and sings the national anthem at its meetings. “Talking about my experience is part of my healing,� she said.

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How did you find out you had cancer?

I will never forget hearing those three words--”It is carcinoma”--and not knowing what to expect. I was diagnosed on a Tuesday in November 2012 with 2 two triple negative cancer in my left breast. I’d felt a lump about a month before my annual mammogram. I had mammograms every year, so that shows how quickly cancer can grow. Early detection saves lives.

What was the treatment?

That December I underwent a double mastectomy and bilateral reconstruction. I had both breasts removed and replaced with expanders to stretch my skin for implants in a later procedure. I chose this approach to decrease my chances of recurrence. I had to take four rounds of intense chemo, which was harder than the surgery and has many lingering side effects. It’s important for survivors to address their mental health as well. With cancer, chances for depression are greatly increased.

Chemo is a cocktail of drugs the doctors prescribe on an individual basis. I also was on steroids which have side effects. The disease makes you sick. The drugs you take lead to a chemical imbalance. All this makes life very challenging.

Were there other side effects?

One was knee surgery. Chemo affects your bones and you get bone pains. Chemo changes your whole body and your whole body has to come back from that. It takes time. I probably will have to have a knee replacement.

What helped you during this time?

said I helped their children accept their hair. I did a segment on it and built up to the point that I took off my wig on camera.

My hair was two or three inches long by that time. I took off my wig and let it be as it was.

It went viral.

What part has your faith played?

I recognized my mortality and surrendered it to God. I started to demonstrate my faith by talking about it. It’s part of my healing. I’ve been given a second chance. My faith has reshaped me. I read the Bible more than I ever have. I realize that God is working—and so is the enemy. We’re fighting principalities.

What have you learned?

When I got the diagnosis, I realized I didn’t think about God daily but now I appreciate God. Every year is a blessing.

Every year feels like a lifetime. Every day is a bonus. I know what cancer does to people. I have nothing but gratitude and humility for my relationship with God. It has really changed me. It’s not God who has changed. It’s me! I used to take things for granted. Now I say thank you all the time.

Do you have any advice?

Yes, for women in general, be proactive in your physical health, your financial health, your emotional health and your spiritual health. It can make the difference between life and death.

You have laughed so often during this interview.

Why is that?

I went back to work. The job gave me something to do and not just be sick. Actually, the disease came at a good time.

It made me physically slow down.

I learned to laugh from my mother. She taught me that even in my darkest days, I can find something to be grateful for. Sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying.

What do you tell other women who are facing the same diagnosis?

How do you spend your time now at home?

It can be overwhelming. Don’t be ashamed to ask for help. You may lose your hair and your job. My hair fell out ten days after chemo. As a television person, hair is part of the product! I was bald and wearing a wig.

I’m writing a book. It’s about overcoming obstacles. I was born to a single mother in Detroit. Yet I went to college, speak French, and landed a job in the top 50 TV market.

How did you share this experience with your viewers?

I was very open about my cancer with the audience.

I wanted to share. Letters came from all over the world, from cancer survivors and from parents of bi-racial children who

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notables } duckmaster, anthony petrina

Following the Feathers Story and photography by Devin Greaney

Duckmaster Anthony Petrina is hard to miss in the lobby of the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee. He’s the tall guy with a bright red coat, epaulets, duck cane and a voice that is half radio announcer and half cartoon Superhero.

He fields a lot of questions.

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“The ducks pretty much take care of themselves,” he said. “While they are here we don’t pick them up, pet them or feed them out of our hand. They don’t imprint on people. They prefer the water and the company of other ducks.”

As for those ducks, there are four females and one fortunate male in the group and they are about a year and a half old when they come to the hotel. These are wild ducks in one of the most civilized places in Memphis.

A first thought is that the ducks must be trained like Lassie or Flipper, but they just do on-the-job training. Someone stands behind the ducks when they need to move forward. Elevator doors open and when the ducks see a water source and food in front of them and a natural corridor made of people on either side, they walk ahead.

Sometimes the Duckmaster has to comfort an upset child due to the duck’s behavior. “They will come up and ask me why the ducks are missing a leg. Ducks can sleep standing up on one leg and frequently do; they just tuck a leg under their feathers and you won’t even see it’s there.”

Petrina is only the fifth Duckmaster in the hotel’s 75 years. Those figures are a bit skewed thanks to Edward Pembroke who had Petrina’s job from 1940 to 1991, with a brief time in between when the hotel closed for six years. Pembroke died in 1994 and on his headstone at Elmwood “Peabody Duckmaster” marks his permanent resting place. Petrina gives credit to Pembroke for figuring out a lot of things during his years such as beginning the red-carpet treatment and discovering three months was average tenure for a duck to be a Peabody duck.

“Once they get used to us as a food source they are no longer professional ducks,” Petrina said. He said they might get a little impatient in the lobby. “When we change for daylight savings time and I go to wake them up an hour early they are hollering and quacking at me. I show up an hour late they are yelling at me even more.”

And they may even decide they’ve had enough of the fountain and on their own walk up to the elevator to go back upstairs.

“It’s hilarious for the people in the lobby!”

Petrina graduated from the University of Memphis in hotel management.

He moved from waiting tables to supervisor and then part-time Duckmaster, working the days the Duckmaster is off. A rare opening occurred about four years ago and he was hired as the official Duckmaster.

“If you are a people watcher, this is the best place to be,” he said. “This DeSoto 21

week I met people from Taiwan, Hong Kong, London, Montreal, two people from South Africa and a couple from Germany.”

And over the decades celebrities have shown up. Every President since Harry Truman has stayed at The Peabody, including an unconfirmed visit by President Obama.

The hotel has a confidentiality policy so celebrities can come and go quietly.

Years ago former President Jimmy Carter, Lisa Marie Presley, Nicolas Cage and Michael Jordan were all there at the same time watching the march. Stevie Wonder and his entourage used the crowd as cover to check out with minimal attention.

Petrina is a big fan so he had to use all his professionalism not to say anything and to keep his composure.

But when Stevie’s flight was canceled, he checked back in, and to unwind, went to the lobby piano and started playing. Though the hotel does not want guests playing the piano, he did not need to convince the staff to make an exception. Elton John and Billy Joel have also played the piano.

It’s not unusual to see someone else joining Petrina on his way down to the lobby; these are inducted formally as Honorary Duckmasters. Peter Frampton, Steve Cropper, Elmo and Bert and Ernie come to mind, as well as an occasional person celebrating a birthday.

“That’s all great, but I had one little gentleman, Mr. Parker. He was a patient at St Jude and he was a fantastic, heart-tugging little kid,” said Petrina.

After the duck’s tenure ends, they stay long enough to conduct Goodwill Ambassador tours, visiting school groups and retirement homes where people may not have the chance to visit the Peabody.

Then for the ducks it’s back to the Mid-South farm where they were hatched and spent their first year and a half. Their wings, clipped at the hotel, grow back. And the ducks, who once waddled down the carpet under the Duckmaster’s care, join the rest of the ducks in the West Tennessee countryside.

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exploring art }

Herons Nesting

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rick destefanis

Lakeside Rendezvous

Quiet Shots

By CherĂŠ Coen. Photography coutesy of Rick DeStefanis

Rick DeStefanis moved from Memphis, Tennessee to Olive Branch, Mississippi in 1984, enjoying the wild Delta landscape for hunting. So many times when he spotted moments of incredible wildlife, such as a pond full of feeding deer bucks, he wished he had carried a camera. Pretty soon, a camera did come along with the bow. For those people who once doubted his ability, the proof is now in the image.

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Deer in Snow

“Looking back I thought of all the scenes I could have filmed,” DeStefanis said. “The wildlife photography grew out of my hunting and it stopped the doubts.”

DeStefanis is now an award-winning outdoor photographer, with his capturing of birds, butterflies, natural scenery and those elusive deer being shown in exhibits at Resorts Casino in Tunica, the DeSoto Arts Council in Hernando and sold in area gift shops.

DeStefanis’ love of photography started early. He carried a Kodak Instamatic when he served in the 82nd Airborne Division from 1970 to 1972, snapping photos as he jumped out of planes. More specifically, attempted to snap photos.

“I busted that camera up pretty quick,” he said with a laugh.

DeStefanis then moved to a 35-millimeter camera he slipped inside the collar of his fatigue shirt.

“It soon met the same fate as the Instamatic,” he explained. “It hit the ground like a sand bag. That was a whim that didn’t last long, but the interest in photography never ended.”

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Today, he mostly prefers shooting animals with his digital camera on the ground, sometimes spending hours waiting for that one special moment to capture that one special photo. He’s frozen in time countless moments: graceful hummingbirds in flight, majestic birds of prey, seaside scenes and birds and bears, elk and bighorn sheep in their natural habitats, among so much more.

“Sometimes I’d rather take the camera than the bow,” DeStefanis said. “It’s a lot more relaxing.”

What he learned hunting animals has served him well with his wildlife photography, DeStefanis explained. He leaves early for the chance to catch wildlife in the morning light and sometimes rests in just the right spot knowing that the animals or birds will flit by.

“You realize how different types of birds will react, how deer will react,” he said. “The hunting skills relate really well to the photography.”

As in hunting, wildlife photography requires lots of waiting. DeStefanis sometimes will sit beneath a beach umbrella for hours in his Olive Branch backyard acreage for the chance to snap a photo of a migrating hummingbird.

“That can make a normal person go stark raving mad, sitting there for two hours shooting hummingbirds,” he said.

In addition to his photography, DeStefanis has written several books. His nonfiction includes “The Philosophy o f B i g B u c k H u n t i n g : S i x Ke y Principles and 40 Tips for Hunting Trophy Whitetails,” which focuses on his outdoor hunting experiences, and two novels that tap into his military years. “The Gomorrah Principle: A Vietnam Sniper’s Story” features Army sharpshooter Brady Nash, whose friend Duff Cowan is killed in Vietnam.

Caught in a web of espionage and black-ops, Brady attempts to find the identity of Duff’s killer. DeStefanis’ second novel, “Melody Hill,” serves as the prequel to “Gomorrah.”

His next novel, due out in late fall, features a Vietnam veteran suffering from post traumatic stress disorder but contains a love interest and bittersweet humor, DeStefanis said.

Like photography, DeStefanis wrote as a hobby to counterbalance his high-stress job at Federal Express. He learned the trade from classes and one teacher encouraged him to develop a story into a novella, which became the seed for his first novel. He got an agent and sold the book to a large publishing house that asked for changes in military information, changes DeStefanis felt would make the book inferior, changes he wasn’t willing to do.

“We parted ways,” DeStefanis said of he and his agent and publisher.

“I wasn’t writing to be famous or make money. I was writing because I enjoyed it.”

He self-published the books and they are available at area booksellers and through online bookstores. So far DeStefanis has received positive reviews from Vietnam veterans, readers who find his descriptions realistic.

“And that’s what’s important,” he said.

For more information on DeStefanis, his books and wildlife photography, visit rickdestefanis.com

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exploring books} guidebooksÂ

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A Black Bear at Coldwater Trail at Lake Arkabutla

Finding the Way Story and Photography by Devin Greaney

For the outdoorsman or woman of the Mid-South, 2015 brings a world of guiding resources from online topographical maps, GPS devices, and smart phones. Even satellite photos with intense resolution were once a thing about which the CIA could only dream.

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Tyler Hutcherson, a Memphis freelance photographer and Outdoors, Inc. sales rep, loves hitting the river. One of his provisions is “The Paddlers Guide to Missouri”.

“It’s been a great resource for finding new rivers or sections of rivers to float, and gives some insight into the area geography as well. I typically write notes about the float next to the map so I can more easily find details from each river.” His current copy is over eight years old; his first copy belonged to his dad who purchased it over 30 years ago.

Despite all the fancy technology, guidebooks continue to remain popular with outdoor enthusiasts like Hutcherson.

Why? Smartphones that get wet are useless. A guidebook that gets wet just gets warped pages, reminding of that float trip in the Show-Me State. There are no batteries to recharge, and even if pages are soiled by Arkansas alluvial, Mississippi mud or Tennessee topsoil that just shows you’re not the traveler who goes for the Days Inn on the interstate.

Pencil notes can be scrawled into the margins, notes can be highlighted and, pages can be ripped out to scrawl a phone number to give to that cute park ranger for “next time you’re in the city and you need a tour guide”. And if the book falls out of the backpack on that trail in the Ozarks, $20 will get you a new edition with enough change left over for a trail mix bar.

Hiking Mississippi: A Guide to 50 of the State’s Greatest Hiking Adventures by John Molloy.

Falcon Guides Publishers

Fifty hikes in the Magnolia State fill this book from the 30 DeSoto

Falcon Guide series. Are the trails easy or hard? Hikers only?

Mountain bikes or horses? It’s all here. In addition, the crisp black and white photos go beyond just photos and give a sense of place, while the text gives a good sense of geography. The guide shows no regional bias. Looking at the 10 largest cities in the state, at least one of them has a hike within 50 miles. The Coastal plains, the Hill Country and Delta are just a few of the sections represented.

Molloy is a Memphis writer who picks up on all kinds of nuances; such as, Owen’s Creek Falls is not much a waterfall in the dry autumn. Or the Sandbar Trail near Rosedale takes hikers across the sands to the Mississippi River. But hit this one during the dry fall season because most of it is underwater in the spring. Anyone associate Mississippi as an Appalachian state? Tishomingo State Park is part of the foothills of the Appalachians. Black Creek Trail bears scars from Hurricane Katrina. A visit to the park can show how nature heals itself from devastation.

100 Hikes in the Great Smokey Mountains

by Russ Manning. Mountaineers Books Publishing

While each trail in this guide is not followed by a map like the Mississippi guide, it makes up for the format with information. Like the Falcon Guides, The Mountaineers books include crisp black and white photos showing off the features of the Smokeys’ trails--with over 100 detailed hikes. Since most trails intersect, parallel and are part of other trails, the guide is broken into sections with a detailed map showing several trails together. The format makes sense and keeps the book from

feeling too cumbersome. A highlighter helps hikers keep things clear. The Smokeys have paths for all levels of hikers. Bull Head Trail on the way to Mount Le Conte has a 6.8 mile hike with a 4,000-foot elevation gain and is labeled “Strenuous”. The Trillium Gap trail to Grotto Falls is a popular family walk and is listed as “moderate”.

Plenty of gems hidden like the remains of an old hotel on the Elkmont Trail.

Directions available.

Ozark Highlands Trail Guide

by Tim Ernst. Cloudland Publishing.

In 1984 the Ozark Highland Trails was dedicated and 165 miles of connecting paths created one big trail from Lake Fort Smith to Woolum (on the Buffalo River south of Harrison).

Though very few have or will make the entire journey, maps and mileage are blended down for the weekend wilderness lover or for the adventurer checking off a bucket-list dream. The most recent edition (5th) was published in 2010, with the first published in 1988. Most changes result from time or technology. For instance, one update are the GPS coordinates which are now part of the guide. Ernst has written several books about enjoying the wilds of The Natural State, including The Buffalo River Trail that is a 36.5-mile mega journey in its own right. The book has the added bonus of including the connecting trails and parks that are access points to the Ozark Highland Trails. Ernst leaves notes such as “SSS” for special scenic spot or a class of waterfall. He adds travelers hints as well, such as carrying a travel bag of Kleenex for toilet paper--but best to avoid white toilet paper during deer season as hunter may mistake a hiker for a large whitetail buck!

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into the wild } wildlife refuges

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Apple-Club-Lake-Tupelo trees-Cache River NWR Arkansas

One Wild Life Story and photography by James Richardson

This time of year many folks in the South hear and answer the call of the wild. Whether it is to hunt or observe wildlife and the outdoors in some fashion, there are many ways to do that in our neck of the woods--pun intended.

This Mid-South holds many options for wildlife watching, photography, hiking, and hunting and fishing. One of the best places to answer that wild call is at one of the many wildlife refuges in North Mississippi, Eastern Arkansas, or Western Tennessee. According to their website, the National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) system “is a network of habitats that benefits wildlife, provides unparalleled outdoor experiences for all Americans, and protects a healthy environment. Today, there are more than 560 national wildlife refuges that provide habitat for more than 700 species of birds, 220 species of mammals, 250 reptile and amphibian species and more than 1,000 species of fish. Each year millions of migrating birds use refuges as

stepping stones while they fly thousands of miles between their summer and winter homes.”

In North Mississippi, the Theodore Roosevelt Complex is a collection of wildlife refuges with similar ecology, habitat, and are located in close proximity. The complex contains these NWRs: Yazoo, Holt Collier, Panther Swamp, Morgan Brake, Mathews Brake, and Hillside.

Just across the Mississippi River, Arkansas has the White River and Cache River NWRs. According to Cache River NWR Project Leader Keith Weaver, “This refuge of 70,000 acres is not one contiguous block, but is scattered parcels up and down the Cache and White Rivers and Bayou DeView.

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MS Wildlife Rehab with Valery Smith and a Screech Owl

It’s open for public hunting and fishing, wildlife observation and photography, and environmental education and interpretation.

This is the area where the Ivory-billed woodpecker was sighted back in 2004. Focal species are primarily wintering waterfowl and forest nesting songbirds.”

In West Tennessee about 70 miles north of Memphis, Bryan Woodward, Refuge Manager of the Chickasaw NWR said, “We have 26,500 acres and are most noted for being the largest tract of bottomland hardwood in Tennessee. Here, we have three endangered species: the Interior Least Terns (small terns who dive for their food), the Pallid sturgeon, and the Indiana bat.” Predominantly visited by hunters and fishermen in the fall, spring brings a different visitor. “We have hikers and photographers mostly in springtime because of the hunting seasons.”

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Anyone might think that with all these wildlife refuges there would be many injured animals that are wounded or are otherwise in need of care. But Cache River’s Keith Weaver added, “Here we don’t have any facilities for wildlife rehabilitation. If we find an animal needing rehab, we take them to a permitted wildlife specialist.”

Fortunately, here in North Mississippi is one such permitted wildlife rehabilitation specialist. Valery Smith, executive director and professional wildlife rehabilitator at the Mississippi Wildlife Rehabilitation, Inc., has been at it since 1995. “We have all the permits necessary. We are permitted by Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks. We hold three Federal permits.”

Mississippi Wildlife Rehab is located in Lake Cormorant near Arkabutla Lake on private property. Smith

explained, “We are totally funded by the general public. We do not get any funds from any agency. We are an all-volunteer organization. Our volunteers are trained to do home care for some of our rehab wildlife.

We take care of 39 counties and have built a network of veterinary professionals who help us in one way or the other.”

Most of their animals come from individuals in populated areas. Few come from wildlife refuges. “Right now we take in about 750 animals per year and that’s a lot for a small organization like ours. Some young birds fall out of their nest. Some get out of their nest and people will find them and not leave them alone.” So, they arrive at Mississippi Wildlife Rehab.

There are all sorts of animals cared for here -- Whitetail fawns, squirrels, and birds of prey, like owls and hawks. Being a “permitted wildlife specialist,” there are specific regulations for handling and taking care of the different species. “We have birds of prey that we use for education. These are birds that have an injury that is detrimental to their being released back into the wild.”

Plans are in the works for the Arkabutla Lake Wildlife Rehabilitation and Nature Center. Mississippi Wildlife Rehabilitation Inc. has announced an agreement with the U.S. Corps of Engineers at Arkabutla Lake for a 25-year lease of 154 acres to build a nature center. They are joined with DeSoto County Greenways to make this a reality. The nature center will have educational facilities and will provide a central location for assessing orphaned or injured wildlife quickly. Its grounds will feature hiking trails where visitors can observe and study wildlife.

With all the National Wildlife Refuges and the future Arkabutla Lake Wildlife Rehabilitation and Nature Center, those many folks in the South looking to answer the call of the wild now have, and will have, plenty of opportunity.

Mississippi Wildlife Rehabilitation 9865 Green River Road Lake Cormorant, MS 38641 (662) 429-0044 National Wildlife Refuge System www.fws.gov/refuges DeSoto 35

exploring cuisine } edible plants

Two suggestions for books to put in your pocket as you learn to forage are “Edible Wild Plants: A Folding Pocket Guide to Familiar North American Species” (Pocket Naturalist Guide Series) and “A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants: Eastern and Central North America” (Peterson Field Guides).

Both are available online.

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Dandelions

Red Clover

The Education of Wild Edibles

By Robin Gallaher Branch. Photography courtesy of trouncediabetes.com

Foraging, loosely described as gathering edibles from the wild, is somewhat of a lost art. Few are the people who actually know wild plants well enough to safely identify species, so it’s natural that even the curious among us, from hikers to farmers, hesitate to actually collect or use wild edibles.

And for good reason since many plants can be toxic. If you want to learn, start slowly. Read books and learn scientific names. “Make sure you know what you’re putting in your mouth before you put it in there,” advised Dr. Joy Anderson, DeSoto County Extension Agent with Mississippi State University Extension Service.

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As a primer, we’ve gathered a selection of common grasses and plants as seen in yards, fields, and forests in the central United States.

Purslane (Portulaca oleracea)

Purslane has fleshy, succulent leaves and stems with yellow flowers. Native to India and Persia, the plant is best when its leaves are young and tender. Purslane seeds have been known to stay viable for 40 years in the soil. Quipped one online commentator, “You may find that fact either depressing or exciting.”

Broadleaf plantain (Plantago major)

Broadleaf plantain has green, ovalshaped leaves that grow in a rosette and are known for their toughness and bitterness; boiling for three to five minutes alleviates both traits. Known as a weed, broadleaf plantain is described as being good for overall health. Proponents say it helps chronic diarrhea and digestive disorders.

While on the trail and injured in a minor way, those who know the plant chew its leaves and then apply them to burns, insect bites, and small wounds.

Clover (Trifolium repens)

Clover is full of surprises. First, it’s a member of the pea family. You can see that because its blossoms are pea-like.

Clover, native to Europe and western Asia, is used the world over as a pasture crop.

For generations it has been a survival food; luckily, the blossoms are pleasant to human taste buds.

When looking for clover, lean toward the young white, red, or pink blossoms and not the brown ones. You can make tea from them or pan roast them until crispy. Clover is high in protein, and contains beta carotene, vitamin C and most of the B vitamins. Be warned, however, that many people are allergic to clover and in warm climates it can produce small amounts of cyanide.

Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale)

This cheery, prolific weed seems to grow for joy and delight itself with proud yellow flowers atop erect, slender stems.

Countless children over countless endof-summer days have made “wishes” by blowing on its leftover globe of seeds.

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Dandelion leaves add zest to juices and can be sautéed or steamed for salads.

Some say they favor chicory and endive in taste. Known for vitamins A and C, the leaves also carry more iron and calcium than do their green friend, spinach. Dandelion flowers can be eaten or can become wine.

They’re best from a meadow (and not from your lawn!); plan a mid-spring harvest.

Dandelions were introduced to the Midwest from Europe as food for honeybees. They’re so hardy that they defy a lot of gardeners in part because of the resilience of their deep, twisted taproots.

Poke salat (Phytolacca americana)

Poke salat comes with a warning: Eat the early, young green leaves. When the leaves turn dark and purple, avoid them; they’re toxic. Young poke salat greens make a delicious salad. They can be jazzed up by frying in bacon grease, fat back or butter.

Birds like poke salat; their droppings have spread the plant liberally throughout the United States.

Lambs quarters (Chenopodium album)

This edible plant looks dusty from a distance because of a white powdery color on the leaves. Lambs quarters replenish the soil by restoring healthy nutrients to it. Steamed lambs quarters add a delicious flavor to basmati rice, bean salads, and yogurt, and to vegetables like carrots and tomatoes. Some find its taste close to chard.

Sheep Sorrel (Rumex acetosella)

This plant goes by abbreviated names like sorrel and dock. It’s been used for generations in anti-cancer therapy and as an anti-inflammatory agent and an antibacterial agent. However, sheep sorrel can have negative side effects. Too much sheep sorrel can cause kidney stones because of high levels of oxalic acid. Sheep sorrel also can cause diarrhea.

Pineapple weed (Matricaria discoidea)

Found a bit north of Mississippi, a distinguishing characteristic of pineapple weed is it lacks petals. Feel free to grab flowers while hiking; they’re tasty finger foods. When made for tea, the brew reminds drinkers of chamomile; hikers appreciate its soothing qualities.

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exploring destinations } north carolina’s yadkin valley

A Valley of

Vines Story and Photography by Karen Ott Mayer

As the world bustles, a quiet revolution grows in North Carolina’s Yadkin Valley, particularly in Surry County.

In the short span of less than two decades, words like Sangiovese, Montepulciano, Moscat and Petit Verdot have filtered into the vernacular of the rural hills and townspeople. What is this growing trend? Vineyards.

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I

n 2004, Yadkin Valley operated six wineries; today, over 40 wineries dot the picturesque landscape where growers, researchers and winemakers have banded together to create what is fast being labeled the “Napa Valley of the East”.

Supported by an active and growing viticulture and enology program at Surry Community College in Dobson, North Carolina, grape industry professionals are positioning the area to attract and train the next generation of winemakers and vineyard managers.

Much talk focuses on the French word ‘terroir’ which in reality means the soil, climate and all the conditions present in an area like Yadkin that contribute to a wine’s character.

Designated an American Viticultural Area (AVA) over a decade ago, the appellation has gained recognition as one of the East Coast’s premier regions. Soil conditions are nearly identical to Burgundy, France with vineyard practices modeled after Bordeaux.

Any assumptions that winemakers in a Southern state can only produce sweet wines has never been more off base. Growing French and Italian varietals across the county, vineyards are steadily producing competitive wines with a wide range of palettes. While North Carolina’s longstanding reputation with muscadine production is fairly recognizable, the newly-built wineries and vineyards are a world apart from native muscadines. In fact, these wines are competing nationally and internationally, winning silver and gold.

Each vineyard reflects the personality and life story of the owners/winemakers. Operations run the gamut from the small growing ventures like Adagio to the large established wineries like Shelton Vineyards. Two of the earliest pioneers in Yadkin Valley, brothers Charlie and Ed Shelton, planted the first vines in 1999. Today Shelton is the largest family-owned estate winery in North Carolina. Natives of the valley, the brothers

have won over 450 awards for their wines and led the effort to establish an educated, trained workforce by partnering with Surry Community College. Surry Cellars’ student-produced wine has earned 10 international medals and nine regional medals in 2013-2014.

Herrera Vineyards, which opened in May 2015, tells an inspirational story. The Herrera family emigrated to America from Mexico less than 20 years ago with barely more than vision and perseverance. Today, sisters Monica HerreraRangel and Carolina Herrera-Ochoa operate and manage the vineyards, tasting room, gift shop and restaurant.

At Jones von Drehle, owners Diana and Chuck Jones and Ronnie and Raymond von Drehle brought West Coast winemaker Dan Tallman to the East where his expertise has produced many wines, including Rosa Dia, a Grenache that echoes of Provence.

In Elkin, the urban winery Brushy Mountain offers a twist. Winemaker Jason Wiseman buys all of his grapes from a local grower. “I want to make wine; I don’t even want to mow grass!” joked Wiseman. At Adagio Vineyards in Elkin, it’s as much about music as it is wine where violinist Jan Wahl makes violins while her husband Tim makes wine.

Complementary cottage industries have already taken hold. In Rockford, The Rockford Inn Bed and Breakfast and Doug and Hannah Holyfield welcome guests from all over.

Over in Mount Airy at Peeled Poplar Farm, good-natured owners and novice farmers found their stride producing jellies made from wine. “Everyone always loved my salsas and jellies.

So, I decided to combine wine with herbs to create high-end specialty jellies,” said owner Sarah Ray Healy.

Rows of neat vines lend an idyllic backdrop for the restaurants attached to the wineries. At JOLO Vineyards, the newly-opened End Posts resembles little of its former self. “The DeSoto 41

tasting room and restaurant were formerly a family home and the restaurant was the garage,” laughed co-owner JW Ray. Opened in 2014, End Posts’ menu offers a full-range of entrees like a grass fed New York Strip served with roasted garlic pomme pureé.

While wine attracts many visitors, quaint towns like Mount Airy delight visitors with its Main Street shops and attractions.

Home to the late actor Andy Griffith, the town has embraced its role as the basis for The Andy Griffith Show, and it’s not unusual to see Barney’s patrol car circling the streets while touring visitors. The nearby Yadkin River offers kayaking while hikers can find endless places to hike in the area.

If the resounding phrase was once ‘Go West’, time spent in the Yadkin Valley will convince newcomers that heading East symbolizes a new direction in the wine world, where young vines and creative winemakers are growing strong.

Growing a Generation of Grape Growers

Surry Community College is the only licensed, bonded winery in the Southeast as part of a college educational program and the only program of its kind as a community college program on the East Coast.

SCC began offering courses in Viticulture in 1999. The college now offers a degree, diploma and a certificate in Viticulture and Enology Technology.

Classroom instruction is supported by eight acres of teaching vineyards and a state-ofthe-art, bonded winery with a 25,000-gallon capacity where students gain hands-on experience. The Shelton-Badgett NC Center of Viticulture and Enology opened in the Fall of 2010, offering enhanced learning opportunities for students.

www.yadkinvalleync.com www.surry.edu www.sheltonvineyards.com www.ncwine.org www.herrarevineyards.com www.jolovineyards.com www.adagiovineyards.com

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a day away } starkville, mississippi

Starkvil le, Mississippi

h baked 9:00 Start the day at City Bagel Cafe. Choo se from a wide variety of fres or bage ls made daily. Flav ors like spinach & cheddar, orange cranberr y & walnut treats. cinnamon sugar. They also serve breakfast burr itos, muff ins and other sweet inter ior 10:00 Sho p the downtown district for men, women’s and children’s clothing, design and furniture, specialty gift items and so much more. and most 12:00 Lunch at Restaurant Tyler. Chef Ty’s menu offers only the freshest pan-seared local ingredients he can find. Enjoy a blue plate lunch like hamburger steak, delicious Delta catf ish and fried pork chop s with brown grav y. Each served with two sides and Vardaman sweet potato cornbread. rkvil le 1:00 Take a self-guided walking tour of galleries and hist oric sites. The Sta hist orical Arts Walk Tour will guide you along various locat ions around downtown to see art from a build ings, neighbor hoods, the communit y theatre and farmer’s market. Buy local arti st or just enjoy the scenery on foot. ng 3:00 Visit the Mississippi State Universit y Campus. Tours expl ore ever ythi gy, on campus like the athletic facil ities, the C obb Inst itute Museum of Archaeolo 400 the Cull is and Gladys Wade C lock Museum (which houses a collection of over skul l rato ps timepieces dati ng as far back as the 1700’s). See rocks, fossils and a Trice a time. at the Dunn-Seiler Geo logy Museum. Call ahead for avai labil ity and to book up slow5:00 Dinner at The Litt le Dooey. For over 25 years they have been cooking s brisket smoked barbecue. Mouth watering pulled pork, St. Loui s style ribs and Texa of po-boy’s, keep locals comi ng back. Other favorites include juicy hamburgers, a variety salads and wrap s.

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For more information: starkville.org thecitybagel.com eatlocalstarkville.com artswalk.starkvilleinmotion.org msstate.edu littledooey.com

Upcoming Events:

October 9 - 10 Friday - Starkville’s annual harvest festival, PUMPKINPALOOZA — held in conjunction with an MSU Pep Rally!

Kids of all ages will enjoy trick-or-treating to Main Street merchants — wear your costume and bring your treat bags — as well as face painting and inflatable jumpers.

See if you can find the Great Pumpkin in our Downtown Pumpkin patch with locally grown pumpkins of all shapes, colors and sizes.

Don’t miss the Main Street retailers vying for bragging rights in the Harvest Window Display decorating contest, and live models from MSU’s Fashion Board add flair to boutique windows with their spooked out styling. You’ll enjoy late night shopping and dining with our Main Street shops and restaurants!

Saturday: MSU vs. Troy October 16 – 17 Friday - CHILIFEST - Presented by Starkville Junior Auxiliary MSU Amphitheater - Taste-test delicious chili recipes as some of Starkville’s favorite restaurants and cooking teams compete for the best chili! Lots of kids activities for the whole family, benefitting the great work of Starkville JA! Saturday: MSU vs Louisiana Tech (Homecoming) October 23 - 24 Friday: unWINE Downtown Downtown Starkville 5:30 – 9:30pm Ladies Only shopping and wine tasting event featuring wine selections and appetizer pairings at participating Main Street shops, plus at least 20% off everything!

Tickets are $20 each for 20% off everything at 20 great boutiques and shops!

Saturday: MSU vs Kentucky

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greater goods } go pink!

Go Pink!

Seeds of Hapiness $25 big /$2 small Ultimate Gifts 3075 Goodman Rd. E. Suite 16 Southaven, MS 662-349-2717 Pinktober Pin Set 2015 $12.00 Hard Rock Cafe 315 Beale Street Memphis, TN 901-529-0007 Pink Ribbon door hanger $25 Bon Von 214 W Center Street Hernando, MS 662-429-5266

Vera Bradley Tote $49 Ultimate Gifts 3075 Goodman Rd. E. Suite 16 Southaven, MS 662-349-2717

Baby Foot Exfoliant $25 Paisley Pineapple 6542 Goodman Rd #115, Olive Branch, MS 662-895-2111

Gingersnaps bracelet $15. Snaps $7 Bon Von 214 W Center Street Hernando, MS 662-429-5266 48 DeSoto

greater goods } go outdoors!

Go Outdoors!

Patagonia Black Hole Duffel 60L $120 SoCo 2521 Caffey Street Hernando, MS 662-298-3493

Kavu knit hat and gloves Starting at $32 Merry Magnolia 194 E Military Rd. Marion, AR 870-739-5579

Drake Ole Miss Shirt $50 The Bunker Boutiue 2631 McIngvale Suite #106 Hernando, MS 662-470-4843

Chaco Sandals $105 The Bunker Boutiue 2631 McIngvale Suite #106 Hernando, MS 662-470-4843

Kavu Backpack $50 Mimi’s On Main 432 W Main Street Senatobia, MS 662-562-8261

Yeti products Colster $30 / Hopper cooler $350 The Blue Olive 210 E Commerce Street # 4 Hernando, MS 662-449-1520 DeSoto 49

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Let’s go Glamping

By Debra Pamplin. Photography courtesy of MaryJane’s Farm and Westgate River Ranch

Across the nation, nearly every campground has a ‘glamping’ section.

Glamping is a glamoured-up version of camping, most often with the comforts of home.

For those who don’t like sleeping on the ground, but appreciate sleeping in the great outdoors, glamping provides a great combination of the two. While the majority of glamping locations feature conveniences such as air conditioning, electricity and indoor plumbing, there are some glamping locations located within the South that stand out from the crowd. Tree houses, an old train car and modern, oversized safari tents join the ranks of glamorous camping.

The term glamping originated aptly in the rural Palouse hills of Idaho. Mary Jane Butters, owner of Mary Jane’s Farm in Moscow, Idaho, says she coined the now everyday

phrase through a conversation with a farm guest.

“I invented the word years ago while sitting around a campfire eating breakfast with my wall tent B & B guests. One of the husbands said, ‘I told my wife she was crazy when she said she wanted to come here for a weekend. What!? You want to pay good money to sleep in a tent and use an outhouse? But now that I’ve been here, I get it. I’m going home to create the same kind of thing in our back 40. I’ll put together the camping part of it and leave the glamour to her.’ I replied, ‘Exactly, and call it glamping’”, said Butters.

Butters has made it a mission to sleep under every tree DeSoto 51

on her property, and is often times found spending the night within her own ‘glampground’ creation, complete with an outdoor bathtub.

Mary Jane says she’s loving that the glamping concept has introduced a record number of women to the new form of camping. Gone are the days of sleeping bags and the hard ground. The glamping style has replaced comfort with roughing it, all while supplying the beauty and sounds of the great outdoors.

Unique Glamping Locations

Westgate River Ranch and Rodeo in Central Florida is a cowboy’s, or wanna-be cowboy’s, paradise. River Ranch is an authentic Florida dude ranch, complete with a rodeo every Saturday. Just one hour south of Orlando, River Ranch is settled on 1,700 acres that overlooks the Kissimmee River.

The ranch houses a new 20-unit glamping area, which takes the ‘roughing it’ out of camping. Each glampsite is on platforms, in a beautiful wooded area, and consists of fullyfurnished, air conditioned canvas tents. Probably the best part of the glamping setup at the River Ranch is the keyed, private bathroom facility, complete with a modern shower.

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Each unit consists of one king bed and two twins.

The patio is a four foot, screened-in setup, complete with two rocking chairs. The interior contains an air conditioning and heat unit, a mini-fridge, microwave and a ceiling fan. Outside, there is a private picnic table and a private propane gas grill.

Various board games are provided within the unit. However, board games aren’t the only fun awaiting you at River Ranch.

Westgate River Ranch Resort is the largest dude ranch East of the Mississippi, and likely features the largest amount of outdoor activity options for every member of the family. They offer horseback riding, swimming, a petting farm, nature hikes, trap and skeet shooting, archery, hayrides, swamp buggy rides, mini-golf, a bungee jump, rock climbing and rides on the mechanical bull. Before each week’s rodeo, the little ones can participate in the calf scramble. The first child to remove a ribbon from a calf ’s tail wins a prize. As if that weren’t enough, River Ranch also has a full-service marina, complete with boating, fishing and airboat rides.

Yurts

Several campgrounds provide yurts for nightly or weekly stays. A yurt is typically made from wood and canvas,

and usually features a deck, picnic table and grill and/or a fire ring. Sometimes bed linens are supplied, while other times guests need to bring their own.

Another unique glamping location is in Turtletown, Tennessee. Designed just for couples, there are two yurts on the property. Each unit provides one queensized bed, a fully-equipped kitchen along with a barbeque grill on the back porch.

At this particular location, bed linens and pillows are supplied. The yurts are tucked away within the Cherokee National forest, and are five miles from the Ocoee River.

The property provides a pavilion that houses the outdoor toilets and full showers.

Additionally, there is an outdoor fire pit that overlooks spectacular forest views.

There are plenty of recreational activities available throughout the forest, including trout fishing, wind sailing, hiking, boating and water skiing, as well DeSoto 53

as equestrian trails. Also in Tennessee, Gatlinburg’s Camp LeConte is a luxury outdoor resort that knows how glamping should be. Guests are within walking distance to Gatlinburg Community Center that houses a bowling alley, workout center and an indoor swimming pool.

Safari tents, Luxury Tree Houses and Cabooses

The Luxury Tree Houses are located on Raccoon Ridge, and are open-air units. The views from the tree of Mount LeConte are breathtaking. Not short on amenities, a stay at the treehouse includes a queen bed and a sleeping loft for up to two kids, a full private bathroom, a covered patio with a bench, a cooler filled with complimentary ice and water bottles. They even can handle phone chargers. There is a fan indoors with additional outlets for the electronic must-haves.

Towels, washcloths and a toiletry kit are provided in the tree houses and a fire ring makes an ideal grilling spot.

If sleeping a bit closer to the ground is your preference, the safari tent might be a better option. There are four different floor plans that accommodate two to six. As offered in the tree houses, there is a cooler with complimentary bottled water, towels, washcloths and a toiletry kit. The safari tents feature 54 DeSoto

a heater and an air conditioner. Additionally, there is a covered patio with a table and four chairs, along with a porch swing.

Is Georgia on your mind? There are plenty of places within this state that provide a scenic overlook and the comforts of home. Cloudland Canyon State park in Rising Fawn offers 10 yurts and 16 cabins. This park is located along the western edge of Lookout Mountain, and is listed as one of the most scenic parks within the state. Hiking is a favorite activity at Cloudland.

Four state parks that feature yurts are High Falls State Park, Fort Yargo State Park, Red Top Mountain, Tugaloo State Park. All of these state parks provide hiking, fishing and general stores.

The KOA locations in South Carolina provide the option of staying in a caboose. These restored cabooses are from the nation’s historic railway lines, such as the Atchison Topeka, Santa Fe and Boston & Maine. Linens aren’t provided.

At the Yemassee, South Carolina KOA, the caboose is from the L&N railroad line. The caboose sleeps six, and provides a color TV along with a small fridge. This location also offers a trolley car. The trolley car sleeps up to four people and provides a

double bed and two single beds, 62 television channels and bed linens. However, there is not a kitchen in this lodging option.

Meanwhile, over at the Mount Pleasant/Charleston KOA, another caboose awaits. Also from the L& N line, this caboose sleeps six. A futon and two sets of bunk beds are provided within this different glamping option. Additionally, there is a half-bath and kitchen within the caboose. The kitchen area is stocked with a microwave, fridge, hot plate and a coffee pot. Linens are provided for guests, as is a heater/air conditioner unit and Cable TV.

No matter what state you choose, the South provides plenty of glamour camping locations. From tents and yurts to cabooses, glamping is the perfect balance between the great outdoors and all the comforts of home.

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Tallulah Gorge

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DOWN

STREAM DREAMING Story and Photography by J. Eric Eckard

When it comes to moving waters, the Southeast has some of the wildest and most famous - even infamous - rivers on which to raft, kayak and canoe. And knowing the water means knowing the name.

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Pigeon River

With names like Raft Trap, Whirlpool and Root Canal, the rapids on the Nantahala River in North Carolina might seem pretty intimidating.

And although there always is some inherent danger when whitewater rafting, the Nantahala is considered a fairly tame river when it comes to riding the rapids. Rafters still will get wet, and it will be cold. From the Cherokee word that means “land of the noon day sun,” the Nantahala River typically sees sunlight only at midday. But it’s still considered a Class 2 river.

“The Nantahala is a great place for beginners,” said Eric Creech, 40, a river guide for almost 20 years.

But fear not, thrill-seekers and adrenalin junkies. The Ocoee River in Tennessee features a section used during the 1996 Olympics. GauleyFest, the largest paddling festival in the world, is held annually on the Gauley River in West Virginia.

And the Chattooga River in Georgia and South Carolina was used during the filming of Deliverance.

“Southeastern whitewater can be found mild to wild - and everywhere in between,” said Chris “Ewok” Carswell, who started guiding in 1995. “And everything here is closer together.” Although navigating rivers in small boats has been going on for tens of thousands of years, recreational paddling is a relatively new phenomenon. A few commercial rafting companies started in the 1960s, primarily in the West. But a 1972 film about four men canoeing the fictional Caluhawassee River sparked a run on rafting in the Southeast.

“The one thing that kicked it off here was the film Deliverance,” said the 42-year-old Carswell. “It really started it all for us.”

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A 2015 report by the Outdoor Foundation showed that nearly 22 million Americans take paddle trips annually.

Whitewater rafting has remained fairly steady over the past five years, while whitewater kayak participation has seen slight growth since 2000. Many guides take summer jobs on the water, but it often turns into a lifestyle. Briggs Gilliam, 48, had his first rafting experience 22 years ago.

“After that, it gets in your blood,” he said. “I got a whitewater canoe, and then I started rafting on the Pigeon.

I’ve been doing it off and on since. There were times when I couldn’t wait for rafting season to start.”

There often is some crossover between rafters and hard boaters, as those who traverse rivers in kayaks and canoes are called. Creech started whitewater kayaking two years before he started guiding rafts on a wide range of rivers - from the mild Nantahala to the wild Upper Gauley. While the rivers in the West typically are large volume rivers, rivers in the Southeast require more “technical” paddling skills because the water volume is less and paddlers must navigate around huge boulders and through narrow gaps. Many rivers in the Southeast also are dam-controlled, so the rapids typically maintain the same intensity for each trip.

Rapids are classified 1-6. The Nantahala features numerous Class 2 rapids and one Class 3 at the end. The Upper Gauley boasts the five largest commercially run Class 5 rapids on the East Coast. Class 6 rapids are considered unnavigable. The Upper Gauley is ranked Top 10 in the world for commercial rafting runs, and it’s known as the “Beast of

the East.” The dam release for the river is scheduled annually, and “Gauley Season” lasts six weekends a year. And rapids like Lost Paddle, which features four significant drops over a half mile, strike fear even into the most experienced guides.

“It still scares me more than any other rapid on the Gauley,” said Carswell, who has guided rivers throughout the Southeast. Gilliam said the Upper Gauley “deserves every bit of hype it gets.” The 48-year-old Gilliam added, “You want to work your way up to that one. You don’t want to step up to a Class 5 right away.”

The Lower Gauley offers a more tame ride than its upper counterpart, but not by much. The Lower still features several Class 4 rapids, including Pure Screaming Hell, Chicken Ender and Twisted Sister.

Paddlers also can combine the two sections into one trip, called the Gauley Marathon.

With 100 rapids - more than half rated Class 3 or better - the Gauley Marathon spans 26 miles through the central part of the state.

“The rapids are big, bullystyle rapids,” Gilliam said. “But it’s oh so beautiful.” And while the Gauley and Chattooga rivers get much of the notoriety DeSoto 61

among adventure paddlers, rivers like the Nantahala, Ocoee and Pigeon have their share of fans. These three rivers are ranked in the Top 5 of most visited spots for rafters in the country.

“The Pigeon is a good starting point for families,” said Ashley Kooijman, who guided on the Pigeon for five years until 2008. “But never underestimate the power of a river. Even if it’s a Class 2 rapid, it can be scary.”

The No. 1 rule for most river guides is “don’t stand up” if you take a tumble into the water. Foot entrapments can occur even in Class 2 rapids and lead to drowning. And learn how to get back in the boat, Kooijman said. She recalled a trip on the Pigeon with a group of burly bikers. When they all went into the water at the Lost Guide rapid, she had to help them back in the boat by pulling them in on top of her - a standard procedure for guides.

“I told them, ‘That’s how we get dates in Tennessee,’” the 32-year-old Kooijman said. “You’re in a boat with a group or a family, and you can make or break their vacation. You want to make sure everyone has fun.”

Know the Names Beginner

Nantahala - N.C. - One Class 3 at the end; very cold; one of the most beautiful rivers in the Southeast; self-guided tours allowed.

French Broad - Tenn. - Two Class 4 rapids, including one with a six-foot vertical drop; third oldest river in the world; scenic and fairly wide.

Pigeon - Tenn. - Three Class 4 rapids; Lost Guide rapid has lost some of its bite, while a feature at the end of it called the Soup has intensified.

Intermediate

Ocoee - Tenn. - Two sections: the Upper, which includes the 1996 Olympics course, has five Class 4s, and the Lower, with 10 Class 4s; busy river; tons of fun; upper section only runs on weekends.

New - W.Va. - Seven Class 4s and two Class 5s; considered by some to be the oldest river in the world; lots of waves; one of the most beautiful gorges on the East Coast.

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Lower Gauley - W.Va. - Four Class 5s; underrated rafting river; if not for the Upper Gauley, the lower section would have all the accolades.

Expert

Chattooga - Ga./S.C. - One huge Class 5 called Five Falls; rafters have to portage around a feature called Crack in the Rock in this rapid; federal designation as a Wild and Scenic River.

Upper Gauley - W.Va. - Five worldclass Class 5 rapids, including Pillow Rock, which inevitably leads to a bone-jarring hit and Sweet’s Falls, with a 14-foot semivertical drop; ranked sixth best whitewater river in the world; Gauley Season spans six weekends in the Fall.

Source: Chris “Ewok” Carswell Nantahala River

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Lauderdale County’s Dunn’s Falls

Following Falls

By Jill Gleeson. Photography courtesy of Walt Grayson, Visit Meridian Tourism and pickwickpinesresort.com

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Mississippi, as those who know and love her can attest, is blessed with some of the nation’s most stunning landscapes. From the glorious Gulf of Mexico to the mighty Mississippi, the Magnolia State’s waterways are legendary. A bounty of oxbow lakes, fertile lowland plains and rolling red clay hills distinguish the rich and diverse topography, so much of which lies within protected borders. A dizzying 61 parks call Mississippi home, including 22 state parks, 16 state wildlife management areas, six national forests and nine national wildlife refuges. This is where those who seek the natural world find bliss.

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Cooper Falls, Pickwick Lake

But because Mississippi is without much steep terrain – Woodall Mountain, the highest in the state, is just 806 feet tall – even lifelong residents might assume that one of the few scenic geographic features their state might be missing is waterfalls.

That assumption, however, would be wrong.

As we discovered after some digging, Mississippi actually is home to a number of lovely falls located on publicly accessible land. Now don’t get us wrong – we didn’t unearth a longforgotten Niagara tucked away in a corner of the state. But the following five waterfalls are each worth a visit in their own right, particularly as autumn sets in, lowering temperatures and setting foliage aflame in brilliant hues of red and gold, orange and purple.

Clark Creek Falls

Who would have thought that one 700-acre patch of Mississippi, as magnificent as it is, could hold so many waterfalls? But Clark Creek Nature Area, located in Woodville at the state’s southwest tip, features10 that run day and night, rainfall or not. “They’re spring fed, they just bubble out from under the ground,” explained Mark Cavin, Clark Creek’s manager. “They’re all between about 20 and 30 feet tall. The 68 DeSoto

deepest is about three feet so people don’t swim in them, but you can get up under them and get your picture taken.”

The falls are spread out over about five miles of trail with sharp elevation drops and gains. Cavin advises that only those in relatively good physical condition attempt the hike required to see the Clark Creek falls, noting that while the first is located only three-quarters of a mile down the trail, the elevation gain from bottom to top is 400 feet.

For more information, visit www.mdwfp.com or phone 601-888-6040.

Cooper Falls

Cooper Falls, it seems, has more aliases than a 90-year-old serial bank robber. Known to locals as simply “The Waterfall,” it was immortalized by country singer Darryl Worley as Yellow Creek Waterfall in his sunny summer party song and video, “Tennessee River Run.” Whatever you’d like to call it, this stunning 50-foot falls sits grandly in the northeast corner of the state in Tishomingo County. While it’s commonly believed to be part of J.P. Coleman State Park, Cooper Falls is actually owned by the Tennessee Valley Authority, who have dubbed the 74 acres which contain it the rather inelegant “Cooper Falls TVA Small Wild Area and Habitat Protection

Area.”

According to TVA spokesman Travis Brickey, “The waterfall has been used frequently for several years by the public as a gathering place for swimmers and boaters in the cove below. It’s one of the most scenic inlets on the Tennessee River between Pickwick Dam and Wilson Dam in Alabama.” Land access issues, Brickley also noted, have prevented the TVA from developing a trail to the fall and so the only way for the public to reach it is by boat.

For more information, visit www. tva.gov/plic or call the TVA Public Lands Information Center at 800-882-5263.

The Waterfall

Oh, if only this sweet little fall still went by its original moniker. Once festooned with a fringe of fuzzy roots that cascaded from its top, this now generically-named waterfall (not to be confused with Cooper Falls, where locals also use the generic term) DeSoto 69

was originally known as “Hairy Waterfall.” Located in Tishomingo State Park, The Waterfall can be reached by a 15-minute hike down Outcroppings Trail, which is rated moderate, like all of Tishomingo’s seven trails.

With 1,530 acres and amenities like permitted rock climbing, disc golf courses, developed and primitive camp grounds, a seasonal swimming pool, seven family cabins and a group camp, Tishomingo draws more than 100,000 visitors annually. Not all of them happen upon The Waterfall, which park manager Terry Harp thinks is a bit of a shame. “It’s a small waterfall, about 12 or 15 feet tall” he admitted, “but I think it’s very pretty. I’ve never seen it completely dry. Even during the driest part of the summers, there are at least two or three small threads coming off of it. It might even be spring fed. We have a lot of rocky terrain here, and I guess it just feeds out of that.”

For more information, visit www.mdwfp.com or phone 662-438-6914.

Dunn’s Falls

Although Lauderdale County’s Dunn’s Falls is currently closed for the season and won’t reopen until May, we’d be remiss if we didn’t include Mississippi’s grandest fall – and perhaps its most historic. The 65-foot Dunn’s Falls was created in the mid-19th-century by Irish immigrant John Dunn when he diverted a stream to power his new grist mill. The mill was later taken over by the Confederate Army, which used it to make hats and belt buckles for its troops. Though the original mill eventually fell into such repair it was torn down, in 1987 a sister mill built in 1857 was moved from Georgia to the Mississippi site.

Part of the Pat Harrison Waterway District, Dunn’s Falls is currently undergoing a facelift, which will be wrapped up by next season. “We’re digging the pond out and making it larger and deeper,” detailed Doug Howell, park manager.

“We’re going to put in a beach and swimming area there, and more paddle boats.

We’re also going to redo the camping area. It’s going to be drop-dead gorgeous.”

For more information, visit www.phwd.net or phone 601-655-8550

Seminary Falls/The Chute/Ingram’s Falls

Like Dunn’s Falls, the falls on Okatoma Creek in Covington County are historic; right around The Chute is where Andrew Jackson reportedly made camp with 2,000 troops on the way to the Battle of New Orleans. Perhaps as noteworthy, the water around these falls constitutes Mississippi’s only rapids and are beloved by canoeists and kayakers across the state. “I’ve been doing this going on 20 years,” said Stacy Revette, proprietor of Seminary Canoe Rental. “And I’ve never had anyone say they didn’t have a good time. I was born and raised here…I remember getting out of the watermelon fields and I couldn’t wait to jump into Seminary Falls to freshen up. It’s been an attraction for years.”

For anyone looking to take a dip, Seminary Falls – which is the first falls after Seminary Canoe Rental’s put-in and features a three-foot drop – offers a large pool perfect for swimming. Ingram’s Falls is the biggest cascade on the creek, with a strong current and as much as a five-foot drop. In between is The Chute, and plenty of other rapids and shoals, enough to make an eight-mile, three-hour float the perfect way to spend a day.

For more information, visit www.okatomacreek.com or phone 1-866-OKATOMA.

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homegrown } main beam knives

A Cutting Craft

By Charlene Oldham. Photography courtesy of Main Beam Knives

Antlers grace the walls of many hunting clubs and cabins, but Chris Ewing puts them to a more practical purpose. Â Ewing is a busy medical professional, husband and father of two who discovered a hobby that has since grown into an accidental business venture called Main Beam Knives.

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“The first knife I made was just as a Saturday project and was seen by a coworker … who liked it so much he commissioned me to make several for him,” Ewing said.

That Saturday project was a knife inspired by one Ewing had in his younger days. Although he grew up in Dallas, he spent a considerable amount of time in Mississippi, where he developed his love of the outdoors, thanks in large part, to time spent in and around Delta National Forest with his grandfather, J.P. Turnipseed.

“I’ve been an avid hunter my entire life and grew up hunting with my grandpa and his best friend Lamon,” Ewing recalled. “A little boy growing up best friends with two old men is a blessing I had as a child.”

Like other young people who grew up hunting and fishing, Ewing also had a few prized possessions that many of today’s computer-loving kids might consider remarkable.

“I had been given an antler-handled knife as a child and had so many sheds lying around I decided to try and make one for myself one weekend,” said Ewing, referring to deer antlers shed by the males annually.

Today, one of Ewing’s favorite hunting partners is his chocolate Labrador Nando, a shed dog “in training.” Organizations including the North American Shed Hunting Dog Association have events and competitions for such “shed dogs,” but Nando only does it as a hobby for now.

“I’ve started training him to identify the antler’s smell and as something to retrieve. And we have gone from there,” said Ewing, 34. “He and I will walk through the woods and find them.”

It’s been just a few years since Ewing transformed a shed into that first antler-handled knife. Now, he also crafts knife handles from wood or G10, a synthetic material that comes in several colors and is easily sanded and shaped. He’s honed his skills mostly through trial and error, finding the best method to embed the tang of the knife blade into the antler or other handle material. Drilling, pinning and using a strong epoxy works best and, though they are built to last, they are far from flawless.

“I make a lot of my knives ‘purposely imperfect’ as I call it. To me, it gives them a unique look and character,” he said. “I wanted to do something different than other makers, so the little imperfections add a little something different to each piece.”

Ewing doesn’t make his own steel, though it’s something he’s considering for the future. Some of his knives feature standard steel blades while others use Damascus steel, a metal that develops distinctive patterns -- typically when multiple alloys are used in the same blade.

“The designs are created by the folding and heating process that is used when they are made,” Ewing said. “They are a very strong form of steel and appeal to more people from what I’ve found.”

Creating each knife takes him anywhere from a few days to a week, depending on his schedule. Ewing works as a CT technician at a hospital in Memphis and split shifts typically give him two to three days off each week. For now, he does most of his work at a station set up under a carport at his home in Hernando, Miss., but is looking to expand his workshop, equipment arsenal and production capacity soon. Meanwhile, he makes a point of crediting the patience and support of his wife Stephanie for Main Beam’s early success.

“Being busy with a hobby that has turned into another full time job can be hard when there are other duties at home to take care of,” he said.

Then there’s hunting and football season. Ewing follows both Ole Miss and his hometown pro team, the Dallas Cowboys. This time of year, Ewing also spends a lot of time at his father-in-law’s hunting club, Archer Island Hunting Club, outside Greenville, Miss.

“I tend to tell people to give me a little more time during these months because I’m usually hunting the weekends I’m off work and watching the Cowboys when I get home on Sundays from hunting camp,” he said jokingly.

But Ewing, who recently launched a website to showcase his work at www.mainbeamknives.com, hopes to be making many more knives in the future, even if it cuts into his Cowboys’ time.

“There are so many good knife makers out there and I’m still learning the craft,” he said. “So as of now I’ll call it a hobby that creates a small extra income. But one day, when I’ve retired from the medical field, I would consider doing it full time -- or when I have enough business to do it and support my family and hunting ventures!”

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southern harmony } grits & soul

By Jill Gleeson. Photography courtesy of Grits & Soul

At the time it must have seemed almost too good to be believed, a sort of “pinch me, because I’ve got to be dreaming” experience. Or as Anna Kline, one half of Americana duo Grits & Soul recalled of how their first-ever song broke big just after being written, “It was pretty wild. I wrote the last little bit I’d been trying to figure out at my desk at work. It was all of 24 hours after we’d finished it and taught it to the guys in the band. John and I were stunned.”

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It was May 2011, just four short months after Kline and romantic and musical partner John Looney met. The Mississippi River was overflowing its banks, drowning whole communities from Illinois on down through Louisiana. Kline and Looney, who were living in Jackson, Mississippi, were so moved by the events they watched unfolding on the news they penned “Flood Waters,” a poignant ode to the tragedy.

Almost immediately, local station WBLT heard tell of the tune and aired a story about it. Before Kline and Looney realized quite what was happening, NBC affiliates across the South were replaying the segment as CNN reporters tweeted links to it.

Grits & Soul had gone viral.

By February of 2012, the pair had relocated to Asheville, North Carolina, drawn by the bustling music scene and better proximity to big music markets in Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia and South Carolina. They were seizing the day – and momentum generated by “Flood Waters” high profile.

“From that moment, one door after another flew open. You can’t ignore that,” Kline noted. “When something you create takes on a life of its own, you have no choice but to let it fly and see how far it’ll go.”

Judging by the reaction to Grits & Soul since their big move, how far it will go could well be all the way. Their 2013 independent release, named after and containing the song that began opening all those doors, was warmly received.

It’s no wonder. Recorded with a backing band, “Flood Waters” contains 11 original “soulgrass” songs defined by Looney’s accomplished mandolin and guitar work and Kline’s extraordinary vocals. Her voice is a marvel, powerful and expressive, with a keening, gorgeous vibrato that brings forth images of a displaced, Depression-era farmer’s wife, mourning the loss of her land to the dust.

And yet Grits & Soul is much more than a traditional music retread. Kline, who was raised in Hernando, Mississippi grew up grooving on Delta blues and Memphis soul and by high school had started singing Celtic music. Looney has loved bluegrass since his Kentucky upbringing, also finding inspiration in 1960s-era British blues as well as rock, country and jazz fusion.

“We listen to everything,” he stressed. “It’s good to challenge yourself to listen to something you don’t normally listen to and even stuff you don’t like. You can learn from it all. Our combining genres comes from what we love, what we want to hear. We’ve been on a big Western swing jag lately and Anna’s been listening to Jerry Lee Lewis’ country albums.”

Where those new influences will take Kline and Looney remains to be seen. They’re in the process of working on material for a new album, which they hope to record next year. They suspect it will have what Kline termed a more “pared down” sound than “Flood Waters,” with perhaps only a bass and fiddle folded into the mix instead of a full band.

“At this point, both of us feel like we’ve changed a lot,” she noted of the evolution of Grits & Soul’s sound. “The two people who wrote the song “Flood Waters” are in a completely different place – literally & figuratively. But we like where we’re headed.”

This month, Grits & Soul is headed to a much anticipated gig: the 19th Annual Magnolia Fest in Live Oak, Florida, which will be headlined by the Tedeschi Trucks Band.

The performance comes on the heels of an Independence Day show in Asheville with Grammy-winner Jim Lauderdale and a European run in late August and September playing for audiences in Italy, France and Belgium. As for the future, Kline and Looney would like to add some dates out West to their busy itinerary and are hoping to return to Mississippi for a stint around Christmas.

Though Kline acknowledges she and Looney don’t get home as often as they’d like and will be “working on changing that as we look forward to booking next year,” she also knows they must go where success leads. “This whole experience for us has so exceeded our expectations that anything that happens now is gravy,” Kline detailed. “At this point our perspective is, ‘Let’s see what else will happen.’ Ride that wave, son!”

For more information about Grits & Soul, visit gritsandsoul.com.

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table talk} memphis barbecue company

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The Gospel of

Memphis Barbecue

By Andrea Brown Ross. Photography courtesy of Pete Cookston

World barbecue Champion, restaurant owner, and author, Melissa Cookston, has been smokin’ the world of barbecue competitions for years now.

With more than 100 Grand Championships and a multitude of Memphis in May Championships under her apron, Cookston has converted countless customers to the Memphis style of barbecue. Since opening the Memphis Barbecue Company in Horn Lake, Miss. in 2011, the restaurant has now expanded to locations in Georgia and North Carolina.

Cookston discussed the expansion of the restaurant.

“We opened in December of 2011. Everyday, we wake up thankful for the huge amount of success the restaurant has, and we work hard everyday to keep our standards high. In 2012, we opened a unit in North Carolina. In 2014, we opened in the Atlanta market, so we are trying to spread the gospel of Memphis-style barbecue as much as we can.”

And the reasons so many customers are willing to be converted to the Memphis style of barbecue can be accredited to a few things.

“First, we operate a “made-from-scratch” kitchen with quality as our highest standard. We cook barbecue fresh everyday, multiple times per day, so we can give our guests the best product possible. We pull the pork for sandwiches to order, which gives our guests the absolutely freshest sandwich. We made our reputation in the competition barbecue world, so we use a lot of the same procedures, seasonings and sauces that won World Championships at Memphis in May,” explained Cookston.

“Our baby back ribs have always been our number one seller. We have a large menu, especially for a barbecue restaurant, because we try to allow for people who may not want to have barbecue on a given night,“ she continued.

Indeed, the restaurant offers quite a selection from barbecue nachos to fried green tomatoes and cheese fritters, to salads and stuffed baked potatoes--and that’s just for starters!

Beef brisket, pulled pork, baby back and spare ribs, pulled chicken, and smoked sausage are standards on the menu.

However, they take barbecue to a whole other level by offering unique menu selections, such as barbecue spaghetti featuring pulled pork on top. Their “Memphis Peacemaker” is a double decker sandwich with pulled pork and brisket with slaw on the top. Other menu offerings include Voodoo Pasta, barbecue Meatloaf, barbecue Shrimp and Grits, and Donut Burger. Customers also enjoy a wide selection of side items such as turnip greens, red beans and rice, onion rings, and grits.

As if being a world barbecue champion and successful restaurant owner wasn’t enough, Cookston can also add author to her plate. And one might say that if eating Memphis style barbecue is a righteous experience, then her cookbook could be considered the “the good book” of barbecue. “Smokin’ in the Boys’ Room” is now in its third printing with another cookbook soon to follow.

“My first cookbook, “Smokin’ in the Boys’ Room”, was really about competition style barbecue with a large portion of Southern cooking. My next book will be out in Spring of 2016, and will have more grilled items, everyday recipes and a fresh look on Southern cuisine emphasizing grills and smokers. I really try to take away a lot of the intimidation factor of grilling, and focus on how much more flavorful and beautiful you can make food by cooking on a grill or in a smoker.”

Memphis Barbecue Company offers a variety of their award winning sauces and rubs for retail purchase, as well as Cookston’s cookbook. Take out and catering is also available.

Open seven days a week, customers have ample opportunity to try the “divine swine” among other succulent dishes.

To learn about the Memphis Barbecue Company including hours of operations and menu, find them on Facebook or at www.memphisbbqco.com.

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in good spirits} sinister cider cocktail

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sinister

cider cocktail

By Bobby L. Hickman. Photography courtesy of marthastewart.com

Nothing livens up a Halloween party quite like a unique seasonal cocktail that engages your guests, breaks the ice, and puts everyone in the spirit of the season.

But even the best-intentioned Halloween drinks can get a little too spooky. Not everyone fully appreciates a fluorescent vat of Witches’ Brew, a sludge-and-moss-topped Bayou Slime, or modifications that transform a Bloody Mary into Vampire Juice. Sometimes Halloween drinks are just normal cocktails with bright food coloring and grotesque ice cubes. Plus, after the trick-or-treaters call it a night, what are you going to do with those leftover Eyeball Highballs and mad scientist test tubes?

Enter the Sinister Cider Cocktail – a tasty, more sophisticated All Hallows’ Eve indulgence you can still enjoy well past Thanksgiving. It’s a crisp, refreshing cocktail that brings to mind nothing but a crisp autumn evening.

Martha Stewart introduced this haunting concoction a few years ago as a Halloween libation, but it quickly gained popularity as an all-around autumn treat. (Just drop “sinister” from the name when it’s time to carve the turkey.) Her original recipe has been tweaked and updated across kitchen counters and on Instagram, but the basic premise of the autumn martini lives on.

Think of the Sinister Cider Cocktail as a cousin to the apple martini – but one clothed in a fall sweater, bathed in full moonlight, and propped up next to a huge orange pumpkin on a hay bale. Sure, there’s vodka and cider in a martini glass, but the fresh apples and maple syrup explode with robust fall flavors. The fine black sanding sugar around the rim of the glass is an ideal finishing touch. The latter may be a little hard to find (try Williams Sonoma), but it’s worth that extra zing when the sugar melts into an eerie shade of green.

Bring your first Sinister Cider Cocktail to life with this classic, original recipe. Then you can either wander down dark halls in spooky mansions or simply spend a cool autumn evening on the porch, sipping a glass while the kids jump in a pile of red and gold leaves in the yard. Your spooky choice.

CLASSIC RECIPE: • Sanding sugar (fine black) • 1 lady apple (chopped) • ½ lime, cut in wedges • 1 ounce maple syrup • 1 ounce apple cider • 2 ounces vodka • Ice • Club soda • (Optional garnish: 1 thin apple slice cut crossways)

Take a martini glass and moisten the rim with water.

Place the sanding sugar in a saucer. Dip the glass rim in the sanding sugar until well coated.

Muddle the chopped apple and lime wedges in a cocktail shaker. Add the maple syrup, apple cider and vodka to the shaker. Fill shaker with ice, cover and shake until well combined. Strain the contents of the shaker into the coated martini glass. Top with club soda and garnish with thin apple slice.

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exploring events } october 159th Annual Mid-South Fair Through October 4 Landers Center Southaven, MS Tickets available at LANDERS Center Box office 662-470-2131.

For a schedule of all events and additional information, visit www.midsouthfair.com or call 901-274-8800.

Bridging the Blues Through October 11 Various Locations in Mississippi Visitors will have an opportunity to discover the richness of the blues tradition in the Mississippi Delta region, with a series of non-stop blues festivals taking place over several consecutive weeks. A schedule of many events are available at www.bridgingtheblues.com. A multitude of festivals and events will take place at various venues, including blues museums, juke joints, casinos and town squares. Visitors are encouraged to explore the region on their own, tracking down gravesites of blues legends or exploring the markers of the Mississippi Blues Trail.

Natchez Fall Pilgrimage Through October 12 Natchez, MS Nineteen antebellum mansions, most of them private residences, open their doors to visitors during this three-week Pilgrimage every fall. Your guides are costumed family friends and descendants of the original owners, whose stories are as real as the bricks and mortar in their hearths. Each house is unique with 18th and 19th century furnishings, porcelain, silver, clothing, tools, documents and diaries. For more information call 601-446-6631 or visit www.natchezpilgrimage.com.

Delta Road Trip Clarksdale, MS & Helena, AR October 2 - 3 Enjoy Delta arts, culture, food, music and literature.

Transportation will be provided between the two Delta cities.

For more information visit deltaroadtrip.com.

Carrollton Pilgrimage & Pioneer Day Festival October 2 - 3 Carrollton, MS 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Tours of historic homes and churches and places of interest.

Genealogy expo, arts & crafts, food vendors, music and children’s entertainment. For more information contact carrolltonmstours@gmail.com or visitcarrolltonms.com.

The Wrecking Ball October 3 Chalmers Institute Holly Springs, MS 6:00 PM - 10:00 PM The grounds of Chalmers will come alive with a host of artists, authors, musicians and historians who have donated their appearances for the evening. The Ball will not only highlight regional cultural treasures, but also provide dinner and beverages and a silent auction featuring regional art! For more information call the Marshall County Historical Museum at 662-252-3669 or visit preservemarshallcounty.org/wrecking-ball.

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King Biscuit Blues Festival October 7 - 10 Helena, AR Celebrating it’s 30th year, King Biscuit is one of the nation’s foremost showcases of blues music. Tens of thousands of blues enthusiasts converge on historic downtown Helena, Arkansas to hear stirring and uplifting performances of an American art form on the banks of the Mississippi River. Headliners include Bobby Rush, Jimmie Vaughan and Lou Ann Barton and Taj Mahal. For more information call 870-572-5223 or visit www.kingbiscuitfestival.com.

Front Porch Blues Bash October 9 - 10 Helena, AR Free live music! For more information call 800-258-0972, visit www.deltaculturalcenter.com or www.facebook.com/ DeltaCulturalCenter.

Delta Hot Tamale Festival October 15 - 17 Downtown Greenville, MS Enjoy live entertainment, tamale cooking contest, Miss Hot Tamale contest, children’s activities, a tamale eating contest and more. For more information call 662-378-3121 or visit www.hottamalefest.com.

“Cooking for a Cure” Gala October 16 Memphis Botanic Gardens Memphis, TN. 6:30PM - 11:00PM The 12th Annual “Cooking for a Cure” Gala benefits brain tumor research and treatment at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as well as Camp Sunshine, a camp for children with cancer. Sampling of appetizers from some of the finest local chefs and Memphis restaurants, a silent and live auction and entertainment by David Kurtz and The Lineup. To learn more about the foundation or to purchase tickets visit www.braintumorfound.org.

The Blues Ball October 24 Gibson Guitar Factory Memphis, TN An evening to dedicated to the King of the Blues, BB King. For more information call 901-527-5683 or visit www.memphischaritable.org.

Brass Transit in Concert October 29 Holmes Community College Corey Forum Grenada, MS. 7:00PM The Grenada Arts Partnership proudly presents Brass Transit in concert. The band includes veterans of the Hall-of-Fame rock and soul acts like the Drifters, Sam and Dave, Aretha Franklin, Ben E. King, the Marvelettes, Frankie Valli, Mary Wilson, Martha Reeves, Little Anthony & the Imperials, Del Shannon and the Mamas and the Papas. For more information call 662-227-2354.

Steve Miller Band October 29. BankPlus Amphitheater at Snowden Grove Southaven, MS . 7:00PM For more information call 662-892-2660 or visit ticketmaster.com.

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reflections} collecting

collecting Story and photography by Karen Ott Mayer

E

very October in Kentucky, we kids scrambled around like most do today, hunting for a costume or an idea. It was fairly accepted by us four kids that if we wanted a Halloween costume, our imaginations would need to produce something. It was unheard of to buy a costume because mom wouldn’t hear of it. So, off we’d go, tossing around ideas. We were farm girls, gypsies, ghosts (very easy with an old bed sheet), princesses, cowgirls, and cats. I remember one year when my mom painted a cardboard box for my little sister, she tromped around the neighborhood as a colorful wooden block. It was so clever; I wished I could have been the block.

We always carried pillow cases as our candy sacks, which bulged with so much candy we could barely drag them home. Under a watchful eye, we had to dump all the candy out on the table or floor so Mom could make sure it was all wrapped. Although none of us ever had any incidents, the required ritual happened every year even before the first piece of candy hit our mouths. We ate candy until almost Christmas, finding pieces here or there, under the bed or in book bags.

Through the seasons, we collected more than just candy as we were interested in most anything we could pick up.

Living half my life in Ohio, then Kentucky, yards or hillsides must have been filled with Buckeye trees because we loved buckeyes. One particular year, I recall my brother and sister joined me, filling up buckets with these smooth, silky nuts. We bartered them, hauled them in wagons, stuffed them in pockets-and months later found them under beds, in closets or in the garage.

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They say...those they folks..that carrying a buckeye in a pocket is good luck. If that’s the case, we must have been the luckiest family in Kentucky. Eventually, mom would insist they all go outside, most likely because she had stepped on one just once too often.

Our childhood scavenging wasn’t limited to candy or nuts. By summer’s end, shells from beach trips crowded our dressers or drawers. Spending many summers on the Atlantic Ocean where the brackish green salt water churned up mountains of shells, we couldn’t resist finding just one more.

As we grow up and leave our innocence in the sand or woods or in that old pillow case, collecting takes on a more complicated direction, driven less by curiosity than basic needs or overactive wants. Maybe it’s china or pottery, walking sticks or beer cans. Maybe it’s just to show the healthy state of our bank account.

I read something eloquent lately that made me take pause. While going through the remnants of a 100-year old man’s property (where he lived all those 100 years), the writer remarked on the paucity of the interior: a bent cane pole, a buckeye and a bible study guide equaled the vast sum of his collection. Rich, indeed.

October brings us pristine days perfect for strolling and exploring. Maybe it’s time to put a buckeye in a deep warm pocket and keep it there indefinitely. If nothing else, to remind that a childlike wonder can still be found if we just look for it on the trail.

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