DeSoto Magazine September 2016

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September CONTENTS 2016 • VOLUME 13 • NO. 9

features 46 Cars on the Coast Missisisippi’s classic car show

60 Making Shine Distillery moonshine tours

52 Football Favorites All those loyal traditions

departments 14 Living Well Keeping the score on football injuries

40 A Day Away Greenville, Mississippi

18 Notables Mississippi’s Teacher of the Year 2016

44 Greaters Goods

22 Exploring Art Lauren Dunn paintings

70 Southern Harmony The Cains

26 Exploring Books Daily Devotionals for devoted fans

72 Table Talk Kermit’s Outlaw Kitchen

28 Into the Wild Gone skydiving

76 In Good Spirits Michelada

32 Exploring Cuisine Kids in the kitchen

78 Exploring Events

36 Exploring Destinations Natchez’ hot air balloons

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68 Homegrown Handcrafted cowbells

80 Reflections Sleep

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editor’s note } september

Back in the Groove

For some, this month means a return to school schedules. For others, it means travel is in order since the summer crowds are, well, back in school. As leaves think about turning soon, the road is wide open and this issue is full of road-worthy ideas.

It’s football season! If you ever wondered why SEC universities hold tight to odd traditions such as ringing cowbells and hollering like pigs, Chere helps unravel the mysteries in her feature on page 52.

If you’re looking to get away (or above), we can help. Hot air balloons will once again grace the sky in Natchez, while skydiving across the South may fit the bill for the more adventurous type. If Devin’s idea of skydiving simply makes your palms sweat, then maybe heading to the coast for one of the South’s biggest classic car shows may feel like a more grounded idea.

Charlene takes us on a fascinating tour of Sugarlands Distilling Company in Gatlinburg, Tenn. on page 60. If you’ve ever wondered if moonshine is a thing of the past, think again. It’s a nostalgic practice mixed with science.

With schools back in session, maybe it’s the right time to teach the kids how to pack their own lunch or help with dinner. Many kids have never had the opportunity to learn their way around the kitchen--or even a knife. Thanks to cooking schools and teachers steeped in the culinary arts, kids can learn how to cook with confidence. And Mom? Sit back and watch how quickly they learn.

SEPTEMBER 2016 • Vol. 13 No.9

PUBLISHER & CREATIVE DIRECTOR Adam Mitchell

PUBLISHER & ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Paula Mitchell

EDITOR-AT-LARGE Karen Ott Mayer

ASSISTANT EDITOR Andrea Brown Ross

CONTRIBUTORS

Finally, it’s our honor this month to chat with Mississippi’s 2016 Teacher of the Year, Jodi McKenzie. An English teacher at Gautier High School, Jodi reminds us again of the hardworking, dedicated teachers who truly make a difference in our lives.

September is a month for changing gears and getting into a new groove. We appreciate your taking time out once again to see what’s on our pages.

Enjoy Fall!

Karen

J. Eric Eckard Chere Coen Charlene Oldham Robin Gallaher Branch Jim Beaugez Devin Greaney Blair Jackson Jeanni Brosius Clint Kimberling Andrea Brown Ross James Richardson Debra Pamplin

PUBLISHED BY DeSoto Media

2375 Memphis St. Ste 205 Hernando, MS 38632 662.429.4617 Fax 662.449.5813

ADVERTISING INFO: Paula Mitchell 901-262-9887 Paula@DeSotoMag.com

DeSotoMagazine.com

on the cover The Great Mississippi River Balloon Race is one of Mississippi’s most exciting festivals!

Pilots compete to win prizes Saturday and Sunday mornings by tossing out sandbags onto a large ground target! See the beautiful array of balloons as they fly over the cities of Natchez, Vidalia, and the Mississippi River.

Read more about this great festival on page 36.

Photo courtesy of Visit Natchez

Get social with us!

©2016 DeSoto Media Co. DeSoto Magazine must give permission for any material contained herein to be reproduced in any manner.

Any advertisements published in DeSoto Magazine do not constitute an endorsement of the advertiser’s services or products. DeSoto Magazine is published monthly

by DeSoto Media Co. Parties i n t e re s t e d i n a d v e r t i s i n g s h o u l d email paula@desotomag.com or call 901-262-9887. Visit us online at desotomagazine.com.

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living well }

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football injuries

Playing it Safe

By Robin Gallaher Branch. Photography courtesy of highschoolfootballdaily.com

Fall is synonymous with high school football. High school football is synonymous with Friday night games and community-wide fun. But the sport’s dark side is its injuries. According to statistics published by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 920,000 athletes under the age of 18 were injured in football-related activities and taken to emergency rooms in 2007.

Concussions, knee and shoulder mishaps, and stress to skeletal, muscle, and ligament areas are among the most common injuries, said Dr. Chip Christian, 56, an orthopedic surgeon with OrthoMemphis.

While emphasizing he loves sports, played high school football, and scholarshipped in baseball at college, Christian said, “I see the players. I see the injuries. They come to me for help.”

The bright side of high school football is that most injuries do not require surgery “and most heal,” Christian said.

First responders follow the RICE principle, an acronym for rest, ice, compression, and elevation.

Some, if not many injuries, are preventable. The first prevention is as easy as drinking water. A 150-pound, footballplaying boy will lose four pounds per practice. That means he needs to drink 25 ounces for each pound to replenish fluid loss.

Symptoms of dehydration can be painful cramps. The body needs to be cooled and hydrated immediately.

A second way to diminish injuries is to recognize that children have developing bodies. Christian mentioned one patient, a small gymnast, who practiced four hours daily after school. “That is too much repetitive trauma on an eight-yearold skeleton,” he said. “But that’s the world we live in. She had elbow and shoulder pain from overuse.”

Christian recommended that the child take a break from gymnastics. The mother refused.

Christian finds that many parents think long term— mainly about college costs—and push a child to excel. “To me, the reason to participate in sports is not to get a scholarship.

It’s the teamwork, what you learn by being in something bigger than yourself. You learn to take orders, and in some cases you learn to give orders,” he said.

However, often the child and the parents pressure one another to stay in a sport. At other times, the child becomes bored and quits.

Helmets constitute a third prevention. Football, Christian noted, used to be called a contact sport. “It is a collision sport,” he clarified. The designation fits, because football injuries (or those from sliding to home plate in baseball) occur because of the players’ running speeds, weights, and fullbody contacts.

Football rules have changed. Helmeted heads no longer can be used as battering rams. The dangers of paralysis and concussions are all too real. Concussion symptoms include dizziness, blurred vision, difficulty in concentrating, and numbness or tingling.

Formerly, “coaches gave them smelling salts and sent them back into the game,” Christian said. “That was the worst thing that could have been done.”

The problem with head injuries is that they become cumulative. “You want to minimize the piling on of that type of injury,” Christian said.

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When a high schooler has a head collision, what’s the remedy? “He sits out for a week,” Christian said. Is that enough?

“No, but it’s a start.”

Knee injuries are the most common football injury. In orthopedic vernacular, it’s an injury to the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and to the menisci (knee cartilage).

These can be repaired, but if surgery is required, the young athlete sits out the season and heals.

“Over the course of ten,15, or 20 years, that area is more prone to develop arthritis. The only way to prevent that is not to play,” Christian said.

Shoulder injuries likewise are common. In layman’s terms, it’s an injury to the cartilage bumper that surrounds the shoulder socket.

Christian praised counties like DeSoto for having onsite athletic trainers at schools; they provide immediate treatment and advice. “I’m not negative. But I do see the problems,” he said. “I don’t advocate not participating. I advocate being safe.”

When asked to share a football injury story, he told of a surprising, ongoing friendship with a patient, Alan Lamar, a senior running back at DeSoto Central High School. Christian performed two shoulder surgeries on Alan, then 17.

Alan later followed Christian around for a day and watched him perform three shoulder surgeries and two knee surgeries. The experience changed his life.

Yes, he still wants to make it to the NFL, but even more he wants to be an orthopedic surgeon. “I saw how Dr. Christian gets people back to doing what they want to do,” he said.

Alan today is 18 and a freshman at Yale University; he received a football and academic scholarship and plans to major in ecology and evolutionary biology.

Last fall DeSoto Central played Olive Branch in the game of the century.

DeSoto lost, 87 to 86, in triple overtime, but Alan starred. “I made 11 touchdowns and maybe two conversions and either 57 or 59 carries,” he said on the phone from Yale.

Throughout his football years, Alan has had his share of injuries to his ankles, neck, and knees. His advice to those who play is this: “Take care of it immediately.

Anything that hurts me, I go to see a doctor and he makes me feel good.”

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notables } jodi mckenzie

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Beyond the Call

Mississippi’s Teacher of the Year Focuses on Relationship Building

By Jim Beaugez. Photography courtesy of Jodi McKenzie

Jodi McKenzie has learned the secret to building a successful classroom, and it begins with each and every student.

Named 2016 Teacher of the Year by the Mississippi Department of Education, McKenzie chairs the English department and teaches the subject to tenth graders at Gautier High School. By fostering trust with students, McKenzie believes teachers can change how they perceive the world around them.

“One of the most challenging pieces about being an educator is being able to learn about each student, and try to find a way to reach each one of them on a personal level so that they really do feel comfortable with you,” said McKenzie.

McKenzie, a 12-year teacher, spent her first six years in elementary education, where she taught a mix of core subjects and remedial reading classes. During her first year at Gautier High School, she encountered a student who put her teaching philosophy to the test—a student who had made it to tenth grade on a first-grade reading level and was essentially non-verbal in class.

“He had endured some abuse at the Headstart level when he was in preschool,” she said. “He had some teachers who were verbally abusive and physically abusive, and he basically shut down.”

Although the student had been placed in the special education program in elementary school, it helped him just enough to test out of the program before reaching McKenzie’s remedial reading class in the ninth grade. But by the end of the next year working with McKenzie, he was reading at the tenthgrade level and passed his state tests on the first try.

McKenzie stayed in touch with the student, and he visited her classroom regularly to talk about his classes and ambitions. After graduating, he earned a scholarship to play football at a community college.

“We built a relationship where he trusted me and his parents trusted me, and I helped him with anything and everything he needed,” said McKenzie. “I look at that child like DeSoto 21

he is my own. We are still close to this day.”

In addition to her staff duties, McKenzie also leads as a Student Council sponsor and a member of the Building Leadership Team. One program that is especially close to her is Excel by 5, which is designed to improve a child’s overall wellbeing by age five by emphasizing the roles communities play in educating their children during their formative years.

McKenzie is currently working with Excel by 5 to help teen mothers prepare for motherhood, while developing a supply closet at Gautier High School to provide clothing and toiletries for students to take home on weekends to help lighten the load for all parents.

“I saw my students becoming mothers, and some of them were able to stay in school and manage it, and some would drop out,” she said. “It made me realize that if they had someone here they could depend on, then maybe everything they went through at home wouldn’t be quite so overwhelming for them. And hopefully we can keep them in school and graduate on time.”

Although she started in elementary education, teaching at the high school level has given her the biggest reward of teaching in her eyes: the opportunity to help her students achieve their goals beyond school.

“High school kids are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel,” she said.

“They’re making life decisions at this point—they’re deciding who they’re going to be, what they’re going to stand for, and how they feel their life needs to unfold.”

McKenzie will represent Mississippi in the National Teacher of the Year competition in Washington, D.C. next spring, where she aims to expand on her platform of encouraging teachers to build lasting, genuine and meaningful relationships with their students. She’ll also meet the President and First Lady and participate in a Rose Garden recognition ceremony at the White House, and compete alongside colleagues from across the U.S. for the 2017 national title.

No matter the outcome, McKenzie will continue carrying out her vision in the classroom by helping teachers and students build bridges of respect and trust.

“When they [students] come back and they’re successful and doing what they want to do, it is by far the best reward you can ever receive as an educator.”

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exploring art } lauren dunn

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Painting the South

By Robin Gallaher Branch. Photography courtesy of Lauren Dunn

Lauren Dunn grew up knowing she wanted to paint. She took lessons in high school and majored in graphic design at Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi. Now 41, married, and the mother of two boys, she’s a full-time artist painting things she loves—scenes of the South.

“I paint churches and old buildings and landscapes and animals and flowers and barns, but they all have one central theme: the Southern soul,” she said. Her art stems from her belief that “God created all things beautiful.”

“Lauren’s our top-selling artist,” said Kim Caron, owner of the Caron Gallery in Tupelo; the gallery features 45 artists, all with Mississippi connections.

Dunn’s work is distinctively feminine, and most of her buyers are women. “Often they are about 35 years old, have just had a promotion, and suddenly have enough spare cash to start investing in art,” Caron said. Dunn’s pieces vary in price, depending on size, from $85 to $2100.

After graduating from college, Dunn taught at Washington School in Greenville, Mississippi, near her hometown of Leland. “I loved teaching high schoolers and connected with them,” said Dunn, a petite brunette.

While at Washington, she met her future husband, Nathan, the school’s basketball coach. Their romance delighted everyone, “and the rest is history,” Lauren laughed.

About ten years ago while pregnant with their first child, Stratton, Dunn started painting full time. Pushing herself by experimenting with styles, colors, and types of paints, Dunn built on her existing skills and developed her signature style. “I decided to follow my passion and create quality,” she said.

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She paints on smooth wooden boards which she has treated. Using acrylics, she sketches with a palette, a spatula-like knife. She applies coat after coat, giving her work what she calls an aged, “chippy” look.

Combining imagination and reality, Dunn’s paintings evoke memories of beauty, peace, a lovely home, an ordered life. That’s one reason they sell so well, Caron said. Her subjects often are flowers--hydrangeas, roses, daisies—subjects that can grace almost any wall.

Caron noted Dunn’s marked skill of painting a flower vase, lovely bouquet, and the water in the vase. “She understands the depth of clear glass. It is clear, but you are still seeing color,” Caron explained. “She replicates the distortion you see as you look through the glass.”

“I apply layers upon layers of colors that create the overall shape of the piece I am trying to create,” Dunn said, adding that often it is easier just to paint a picture than it is to explain it to a reading audience. “In the beginning I put in bright, bold, dark colors,” she said.

Caron described the layering technique as “comforting and pleasing, the layers make you have a joyful response to Lauren’s work.”

Dunn says the way she paints—a slow but steady application of layers— reminds her of the Delta, whose history she describes as full of soul, simple beauty, and fertile soil. “Past generations of Delta life show through my work,” she said.

Dunn’s heroes are the painting greats—Cezanne, Picasso, Matisse, and Van Gogh—who span Abstract and Impressionist art.

When asked about her studio, Dunn smiled and shook her head. She works from her home in Brentwood near Nashville. “The studio situation is quite horrible and comical right now,” she said with a laugh. “Our home is being remodeled. My easels and paints go from the kitchen to the dining room. When it’s all done, probably by the fall, the remodeling will give me a studio, one with a lot of light and windows.”

Although she has done many memorable paintings, one stands out, a 30” x 40” acrylic, probably because of what it represented to the client family. The wife brought Dunn a picture she had taken of her husband with their children during a walk in the woods. The woman wanted a painting from the photograph to be a gift for her husband.

“She wrote a really sweet note about what her husband does for other people. Her words are on the back of the painting,” Dunn said.

Yes, Dunn is successful. But she has not stopped pushing herself. “I look for new ways to present my art. I’m exploring more about shapes and colors and how lights and darks play off each other. I’m trying new techniques to bring in and new medium to add to what I already know.”

When asked if she ever had what she would call a failure, a picture that just wasn’t any good, she replied thoughtfully, “sometimes,” and then added immediately this positive statement, “but you learn from your failures.”

That advice and the encouragement she gave the promising high school art students still hold: “Don’t be afraid of being a struggling artist. There’s art behind everything you see. There are a million things you can do in art and be successful at.”

Dunn’s paintings are available at York & Friends, Nashville; An Apartment in Paris, Santa Rosa Beach, Florida; and the Caron Gallery, Tupelo, Mississippi.

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exploring books} daily devotions for die-hard fans

For the Love of God and Football

By Blair Jackson. Photography by Adam Mitchell

No one can deny that SEC football is king down South. That is, second to faith. Pastor and author, Ed McMinn, brilliantly connects the love for sports and God in his devotional books, “Daily Devotions for Die-Hard Fans�, two of which cover prominent Mississippi teams, the University of Mississippi Rebels and the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

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The two-page devotionals take less than five minutes to read, and they cover stories from all sports, not just football, from the beginning of athletics at both schools to 2011 when the devotionals were published.

McMinn grew up in Georgia with a passion for sports and journalism. A graduate of The University of Georgia, McMinn went on to get a Master of English from Valdosta State University and a Master of Divinity from Emory University.

He became a pastor in 2000, after careers as a journalist, a college professor and a U.S. Army officer.

“My dream for my whole life, from my teen years on, was to be a published writer,” McMinn said. “It was only when I quit doing things for myself, gave my life to God, and sought His will that He made my dreams come true beyond anything I could have imagined. God’s like that, you know.”

McMinn was convinced that he should write a devotional book himself, one that would meld his love for God and sports. His first two devotionals “God Bless the Vols” and “God Bless the Crimson Tide” were published in 2007. Since then, McMinn has written and published 43 devotional books.

“The point that these devotional books make is that the things you love outside of your church life and your faith are also places where God can be found,” McMinn said.

One devotional for Mississippi State fans titled “Hurry Up and Wait” told the story of Dan Mullen’s first game as Mississippi State’s head football coach. Although Mullen was hired in December 2008, his first game wasn’t until Sept. 5, 2009. Excited Mississippi State fans had to wait even longer to see Mullen in action when the game against Jackson State was prolonged by a lightning storm. Mullen described the first half of the game as “really sloppy”. The Bulldogs were up by seven points, but they had racked up two missed field goals, two lost fumbles, and six penalties.

Then, finally, in the third quarter, the Dogs exploded getting 21 points, moving on to win 45-7 in the final quarter.

The wait was over. The lesson that McMinn made from this

story was that sometimes we have to wait for the Lord. He has a timing for everything, and only He knows the big picture.

“I write in a breezy style that is easy to read and keeps your attention,” McMinn explained of his devotionals which center on topics such as perseverance, peace, teamwork and courage, just to name a few.

Eli Manning, a classic Ole Miss football hero, makes some appearances in the Ole Miss devotional. Remember in 2003 when Ole Miss went up against Auburn for an away game?

It was a slugfest that didn’t look hopeful for the Mississippi team when many freshmen had to be called off the bench.

With under seven minutes in the game and the Rebels trailing 20-17, Manning propelled the Rebels 81 yards in nine plays. In one key play, Manning threw a flat pass to Lorenzo Townsend, a third-team fullback, who turned it into a 48-yard play to the Auburn 12. This set up a game winner, a one-yard plunge from Brandon Jacobs, the backup tailback. Ole Miss won 24-20.

The lesson is that sometimes you aren’t prepared for what life throws at you, but a good team member is willing to do “whatever the coach calls upon him.” “Something quite similar occurs when God places a specific call upon a Christian’s life,” McMinn wrote.

In May 2008, McMinn retired from the ministry to focus on the sports-themed devotionals full time. “It was a leap of faith,” he said. “What started off as a hobby has been a surprise to me, a miracle really, and I don’t know why God chose me to do it; it’s been an incredible blessing.”

So the next time a fan feels compelled to rip a cowbell from a competitor’s hand or yell distracting chants during the Hotty Toddy, it’s a better idea to remember both teams actually have a lot in common. Both lay claim to having unstoppable Mississippi determination, and both have a one-of-a-kind diehard fan base, most of whom acknowledge the one real truththat Jesus Christ is King, and that all things, including sports, can praise Him. DeSoto 29

into the wild } skydiving

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Free Falling

Story and photography by Devin Greaney

Michael Mullins is passionate about skydiving and has been for about 50 years. Today, he is National Director of the United States Parachute Association, but for the first 20 years or so, he was not passionate about some of the facilities used for skydiving.

Thirty years ago, he changed that reality by buying property amongst the cotton and soybean farms of Fayette County, Tennessee, and built an airport designed exclusively for skydiving with a Beechcraft B90 King Air to load skydivers.

“This airport is different from most. It’s independently owned by one person; no federal funding. He has a million dollar plane just for skydiving and he put three quarters of a

million dollars to make it the fastest climbing skydiving plane in the world” said Paul Gholson, lead instructor/ safety training advisor for West Tennessee Skydiving. He refers to himself as the local cop.

The waiting area is a place where nervous new jumpers can be comforted by their tandem instructors.

“We don’t jump, I shove your ass out,” instructor DeSoto 31

Keith Sherman told a first-time jumper.

Fourteen thousand five hundred feet above sea level is the height of the highest mountain peaks in 49 states. It is also the altitude the B90 takes jumpers. This Saturday skydiving veterans, first-timers and those who could count their jumps by holding up fingers, mingled among each other before packing tightly into the plane.

Lookout Mountain Hang Gliding in Rising Fawn, Georgia, about 25 miles south of Chattanooga, lets someone step off the side of a mountain – safely – to ride the updrafts blowing through the valley and rising currents forced up the Appalachians mountains. For $199 to $299 the visitor can experience the closest thing possible to being a bird.

North of Chattanooga in Dunlap is the Tennessee Tree Toppers, another hang gliding spot in the beautiful Appalachians. But unlike Lookout Mountain Hang Gliding, this is more a community of established hang glider pilots and enthusiasts and not where one goes for instruction.

Hannah Lovett her family and friend came to West Tennessee Skydiving from Murray, Kentucky. It was Hannah’s 20th birthday. They were all smiles when they made it to back to earth. “Nothing like you picture it would be!” she said.

Two friends from Jackson, Mississippi – Karrie Johnson and Wendy Thomson also celebrating Karrie’s birthday, made the trip to Fayette County to celebrate.

“I’m not scared yet,” Wendy said. “I know I will be when I hear the engine!”

Instructor Alex Coker said the freefall is about a 32 DeSoto

minute reaching about 120 miles per hour, with a five- minute fall in the chute. “The hardest part is that anti-self-destruct mechanism of your brain telling you not to do it,” he said. “But you have a better chance of getting killed on the drive home.”

But for those who want to go even higher, there is a different kind of jump called high altitude low oxygen or HALO. Atmosphere is only about 30 percent of what it is on the ground and it can be freezing in the summertime. “This is the only place in the US where you can do civilian HALO jumps. There is an operation called HALO Jumpers. They use our facilities and our equipment and can make an almost 30,000 foot jump with oxygen and a two-minute freefall,” Gholson said.

“We are the only place in the U.S. that can take tandem students as young as 12 because we have an Australian tandem instructor who operates on Australian rules. We have a rig made overseas where we are allowed legally to do it. It is perfectly legitimate”, Gholson said. That instructor is Mark Gerlach, originally from Melbourne. He is easy to spot with his long hair, quick wit and far from West Tennessee accent.

For the first few jumps one jumps in tandem, which is a fancy way of saying “hooked on to” an instructor so there is a 225 pound weight limit. Jumps are $225, though there are discounts for groups and as for the age 12 to 17 age group, both parents or guardians need to sign a waiver. For another $100 a videographer/jumper will join for your own movie of the event.

We- the pilot Mullins, 13 others and myself-

loaded up the plane. A mere 8,300 feet above the ground the air became drier and was only getting more so as we headed for our destination. The loud rumble of the Plexiglas door made more noise than the engine.

The door opened to the deafening rush of wind. Out went the jumpers jumping into a lifetime memory. The plane landed sooner than some of the skydivers.

“It is life changing. This isn’t just an activity, it’s a lifestyle. We say once a skydiver always a skydiver.

We have a saying ‘how can you tell if someone is a skydiver? They will tell you in a couple minutes’,” Gholson said.

The prevailing emotions in an informal survey this day was simply “I want to do it again!”

T homson, who assumed she would be scared, said she never was. After hugs, both she and Johnson indicated this would not be their last jump.

As for those who think a skydive may be the last thing accomplished on their bucket list, Gholson reassures. “No one who has ever been trained here has ever had a fatality.”

Tennessee Tree Toppers tttmember.org West Tennessee Skydiving www.jumpelvis.com Halo Jumper www.halojumper.com Lookout Mountain Hang gliding www.hanglide.com

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exploring cuisine } kids and cooking

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Kids Can Cook!

By Jeanni Brosius. Photography courtesy of culinarykidsns.com and youthtoday.org

On a summer Saturday morning, a group of children gathered at Eggshells, a kitchen store in Little Rock, Arkansas. These kids weren’t shopping for cooking supplies, they were learning how to cook.

“Good morning!” Georgeanne Yehling sang in a lovely operatic tone as she handed them paper chef ’s hats.

During Yehling’s Saturday morning classes, these kids learned to respectfully handle a knife, and prepare simple, yet delicious dishes.

“Kids learn a lot more than merely how to cook when they’re in the kitchen,” Yehling said. “Obviously, they learn a lot about nutrition and about the actual act of cooking, but they also can apply mathematical concepts—fractions, anyone?— scientific concepts, such as boiling, baking, convection, and language skills, such as how to read and write recipes.”

It seems easy to find cooking classes for adults, but it takes someone special to teach impatient children with short attention spans to cook.

“For me, it’s a joy to watch a child try something new,

whether that be a new skill or a new food,” Yehling said. “Some kids are fearless the moment they step into the kitchen, but others are a little more wary and take coaxing, but when they have the “aha!” moment, it’s priceless.”

Seven-year-old Emma Bennet had that moment as she plucked fresh cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers from her mom’s garden. After taking a cooking class through her local county extension office, Emma gained the confidence to take these ingredients and combine them with a few other veggies that her mom had in the refrigerator and create a beautiful and healthful salad for her family’s dinner.

“Look!” she excitedly said as she held out a big bowl of colorful vegetables. “I made a salad all by myself.”

That confidence she learned in the week-long summer cooking camp included knife skills. And those skills will stay DeSoto 35

with her not only for the rest of her life, but the feeling of accomplishment will transcend other challenges she takes on.

“Kids can express their creativity in decorating, plating and in recipe development,” Yehling said. “Kids also learn independence and confidence--they learn they are capable of trying new things, they are more than able to do hard things, too.”

There are many opportunities for children to learn to cook. Check out local cooking stores, 4H clubs through school districts or county extension offices. Kids can also become sous chefs alongside their parents or grandparents.

Many people learn to cook from their parents, but that’s not always possible.

So those parents who are able to cook can share their skills with more than just their own children.

Carly Mennard of Memphis, Tennessee said she allows her 10-year-old daughter, Alexis, to invite friends over for cooking parties.

“We get out the flour and make our own pizza crusts,” Mennard said.

“We make a mess, but we have lots of fun. There is something about eating your own creation that kids like. So sometimes I can get them to eat foods they normally wouldn’t eat.”

Mennard recommends starting out with simple things, such as pizza or cinnamon rolls. She said putting things in the oven is much easier than cooking on the stove top for a beginner.

“Just let their imaginations take them wherever they want to go,” Mennard said with a smile.

Yehling said children are capable of much more than most adults give them credit.

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“My advice is to trust your kids.”

Yehling said. “They can do a lot more than you think they can. When I began teaching kids, I was so afraid to let them use knives or do things themselves, but when you give a child the ability to be a leader, most of the time, they step up to the plate. Supervision, of course, is crucial, but you’d be surprised at the things your kiddo can do without you hovering.”

Check with local colleges that offer culinary courses, county extension offices, local restaurants or perhaps your neighbor.

If none of these places offer classes, suggest one, or just launch a class in your own kitchen.

“Just let their imaginations take them wherever they want to go.”

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exploring destinations } great mississippi river balloon race

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Hot Air Happiness

By Clint Kimberling. Photography courtesy of Visit Natchez

Last month the city of Natchez celebrated its 300th birthday. Quite a remarkable milestone, considering that makes the city a full 100 years older than the state of Mississippi itself. And to mark the occasion, the city has a full calendar of celebrations and events planned through the rest of the year making it the perfect time to visit.

Kelin Hendricks, the Tricentennial Liaison at Visit Natchez, says, “We’ve got something great planned literally every weekend the rest of the year. And the events are so diverse, there’s something for everyone. It encompasses the whole of what Natchez is about.”

Of course the biggest and most well-known of these events is the Great Mississippi River Balloon Race. Starting with “Balloon Glow” Friday night, and continuing through

Sunday afternoon, the Great Mississippi River Balloon Race is the most colorful annual event in Natchez, with bright hot air balloons filling the skies over the Mississippi River. Held the third weekend in October every year, 2016 marks the 31st year for the balloon race. Visitors and locals alike turn out for what is always the best party of the year featuring music, food, arts and crafts, and a world class hot air balloon event.

“We are an extremely unique hot air balloon event in DeSoto 39

that we launch balloons from what is essentially our downtown area,” said Trevor Brown, director of Great Mississippi River Balloon Race.

Most balloon events are held at more open areas such as air fields and parade grounds. The Natchez balloon event takes place on the grounds of historic Rosalie Bicentennial Gardens. “We’re putting up hot air balloons where most don’t,” he added.

The festival weekend kicks off with a “Balloon Glow” on Friday night followed by fireworks and live music. “Seeing all the burners fire at night is really great,” Brown says. He goes on, “It’s a special thing for people to see up close just how massive the balloons are.”

The Great Mississippi River Balloon Race has grown to include around 65 balloons and is now a sanctioned event for professional hot air balloon pilots. Although the term ‘racing’ may not be the best choice of words when talking about balloon competitions because balloons don’t ‘race’ in the normal sense of the word. But it is a competition and points are scored based on the pilot’s navigational skills.

Much more than a hot air balloon event, there is a two-day festival that many liken to a homecoming for the city of Natchez. This year, New Orleans bands The Revivalists and Dumpstaphunk will headline live music acts. Brown says his favorite thing about the festival is the music and enjoys the chance to bring top notch entertainment to Natchez.

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This year, the festival will expand on popular attractions that were first added last year, including the Blufftober Fest Biergarten. This is a beer garden stocked with Mississippi and Louisiana craft brews available for purchase and tasting. There will be an Octoberfest-style beer specially brewed for the event and only available on Saturday.

There is also an arts and crafts fair that will feature local and regional handmade goods. Brown is expecting the number of exhibitors to double in size this year. Another special attraction on the festival grounds will be a carnival section with many rides, games and fun for children of all ages. For those who want to experience a balloon ride, there will be free tethered rides that will take riders about 40 feet in the air.

Hendricks compares the Balloon Races to a big homecoming for Natchez. “It becomes a family and friends reunion. You know you’re going to see everyone. The whole town is so festive and the downtown area is transformed into one big party.” Brown added, “The event has become a real point of pride. Everyone comes together on that fall weekend to celebrate.”

Brown says the Sunday balloon launch provides one of the more remarkable and scenic backdrops of the weekend.

“The balloons fire up, and it’s pretty noisy. But soon they lift off and quietly drift away over the river and out of sight.”

Natchez is also home to the state’s most grand antebellum mansions. And for two weeks each fall, the doors to some of the city’s most historic homes are put on display for touring and entertainment for the public. The 2016 Natchez Fall Pilgrimage Tour of Homes will begin later this month and stretch into October.

Nineteen antebellum mansions will be open for touring and feature guides costumed as family friends and descendants of the original owners. Each house is filled with 18th and 19th century artifacts including furnishings, porcelain, clothing, tools and documents.

For the more active, there is the Natchez Half Marathon on November 26-27. Runners will not find a more scenic race course or one with a deeper history. Designed to showcase all the historic sites of Natchez Under the Hill, the Dunleith, the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians, the Natchez Trace and historic downtown Natchez, every turn of the course will take runners past a historical landmark making it a great way to see Natchez

Another great event in the rich history of Natchez is the Angels on the Bluff Cemetery Tour which is November 5-7. This is an elaborate production featuring iconic Natchez personalities buried on the property as portrayed by their descendants and other local citizens in period costumes.

If you’re thinking about going to Natchez, make sure you plan accordingly. Hendricks says, “If you only plan for one night, you’ll want stay for two or three.”

Natchez, which sits on a bluff 200 feet above the Mississippi river, is also full of natural beauty.

Hendricks adds, “The sunsets alone are worth the trip down here.”

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a day away } greenville, mississippi

Greenville, Miss.

9:00 Jim’s Cafe Downtown, featured on the Food Network show Feasting on Waves, is a great way to start the day. Jim’s offers delicious food served by friend ly staff in a quaint atmosphere. Order grits, eggs, bacon, pancakes or the western omelette.

10:00 Stroll over to the Washington C ounty C onvention & Visitors Bureau to join a walking tour of the downtown area. Learn about the stately historic homes and churches as you make your way to the 1927 Flood Museum and the Greenville History Museum. Exhibits highlight life in this Delta town from the 1800s to 1970s through interesting photos, artifacts and memorabilia.

12:00 Lunch at Sherman’s on South Main. Since 1947, this Delta icon has been serving mile-high sandwiches, burgers, salads and daily lunch specials. Save room for their famous homemade pies like Lemon Ice Box, Chocolate or Pecan.

1:00 Visit the River Road Queen Welcome Center. This unique welcome center was originally built for the 1984 World’s Fair in New Orleans, then relocated to Greenville.

2:00 Take Highway 82 South to Cypress Preserve. Open from dusk until dawn this beautiful 16-acre preserve is popular with bird watchers and photographers. Stroll along the boardwalks and trails while soaking up the scenery.

3:30 C ontinue on Highway 82 South to Warfield Point Park, situated on 80 acres directly on the banks of the Mississippi River. C limb to the top of the observation tower for a view of the area or walk along the river. The park also offers camping, AT V trails, biking trails, playground and picnic facilities.

5:30 A visit to Greenville would not be complete without dinner at Doe’s Eat P lace.

Doe’s was established in 1941 by Dominick “Doe” and his wife Mamie and is still owned by the family today. With countless awards and write-ups, Doe’s remains one of the best steakhouses in the US. The steaks are hand cut and cooked to perfection. The Porterhouse and tamales are a must.

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For more information: visitgreenville.org mainstreetgreenville.com greenvillems.org shermansrestaurant.net greenvillecypresspreserve.org doeseatplace.com

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Upcoming Greenville Events: 39th Annual Delta Blues & Heritage Festival September 17 Mighty Mississippi Music Festival (Formerly Highway 61 Blues Festival) September 30 - October 2 Delta Hot Tamale Festival October 13 - 15 Halloween Event at the River Road Queen Welcome Center October 31 Greenville Christmas Parade December 3 Holiday Open House at the Washington County Welcome Center December 7

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greater goods } tailgating

TAILGATING

1.

4.

2.

3.

5.

8.

6.

9.

7.

1. Ala Carte Alice Sauces and Mixes, The Wooden Door, 2521 Caffey Street, Hernando, MS 2. Rtic tumblers and coozies, $60/$45, The Bunker Boutiue, 2631 McIngvale Suite #106, Hernando, MS 3. Collegiate T-Shirts, Ultimate Gifts, 3075 Goodman Rd E, Suite 16, Southaven, MS 4. Yeti Tank and Hopper 20, $260/$350, The Blue Olive, 210 E Commerce St # 4, Hernando, MS 5. Govino unbreakable wine and beer glasses, The Pink Zinnia, 134 West Commerce Street, Hernando, MS 6. Freaker coozies and Yo Socks, $12/$10, Cynthia’s Boutique, 2529 Caffey Street, Hernando, MS 7. Lauren James T-shirts and Spirit Tattoos, SoCo, 300 W Commerce Street, Hernando, MS 8. U of M Tea Towel, $22 Glasses, $15, Ultimate Gifts, 3075 Goodman Rd E, Suite 16, Southaven, MS 9. Made in MS Cutting Boards, $30-$75, The Wooden Door, 2521 Caffey Street, Hernando, MS

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greater goods } tailgating

TAILGATING 3.

1.

2.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

1. Bently Drinkware, Bon Von, 214 W Center Street, Hernando, MS 2. Platters, $45/$48, Square Cupboard, 328 W Commerce Street, Hernando, MS 3. Ozarka Coozies with free personalization, $14, Commerce Street Market, 74 W Commerce Street, Hernando, MS 4. Steve Madden Boots $109, Veond Scarf $24, Hobo purse $228, Center Stage Fashions, 324 W Commerce Street, Hernando, MS 5. Tailgatin’ Tots Set $29, Paisley Pineapple, 6542 Goodman Road, Suite 115, Olive Branch, MS 7. Cheer Gloves $22, Mimi’s on Main, 432 West Main Street, Senatobia, MS 6. Children’s football tee, $17, Merry Magnolia, 194 E Military Rd., Marion, AR 8. Canvas Totes, $35, Cynthia’s Boutique, 2529 Caffey Street, Hernando, MS

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If you grew up in the 1950s or ‘60s, your childhood memories likely revolved around cars. The post-war era was in full swing. Instead of tanks and planes, automobiles were flying out of the Detroit area factories. The days of war rationing were over, and Americans were falling in love with cars again.

Cruisin’

through Time

By J. Eric Eckard. Photography courtesy of Cruisin’ the Coast

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Joe Pegram bought his first car in 1952 - a 1936 Ford coupe. He was 13 years old, and he needed transportation for a paper route. Things were different back then, especially in rural Mississippi. Pegram grew up in Sardis, whose population has fluctuated between 1,000 and 2,000 for decades. Townsfolk didn’t think twice about a 13-year-old driving a car through the neighborhoods, delivering newspapers.

“I guess that’s when I got hooked on cars,” the 77-year-old Pegram said. “It was the first car I owned.”

Today, Pegram has a small collection of classic cars, including a 1935 Oldsmobile, 1966 Pontiac GTO and other cars of the past that he restores.

Pegram’s story really is no different from many teens back then. This love affair for cars paved the way for social interaction with friends. And ultimately, car clubs were formed.

The Pharaohs, Dragons, Wanderers, Matadors and others 50 DeSoto

cruised the streets of small towns throughout the country. Kids flocked to drive-ins and soda shops. And like the teenagers immortalized in the films Grease and American Graffiti, they loved to show off their suped-up hot rods.

Flip the page 60 years or so, and car clubs still dot the landscape across the country. The members are a little older, aging baby boomers who still cruise the streets in cars of their youth. The difference is that instead of cruising to the drive-in, most of today’s car club members show off their classic autos at small cruise-ins and larger car shows.

“People are car crazy in Mississippi,” said Craig Grisoli. “There’s not a weekend that goes by where there isn’t a car show or a cruise-in or some car event. In the spring, you might have two or three events on the same day every weekend.”

Grisoli is the registration director of one of the largest Mississippi car shows, Cruisin’ the Coast, an eight-day event

that draws thousands of car aficionados annually to the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Cruisin’ the Coast celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, scheduled for Oct. 2-9, with its headquarters in Gulfport.

Grisoli said he expects nearly 8,000 vehicles at this year’s event.

“The first year we had it, it was a three-day event, and we had 374 vehicles registered, so we started out humbly,” Grisoli said. “The second year, we had 997 vehicles. Then it started growing by leaps and bounds.”

In 2015, Cruisin’ the Coast drew 7,639 vehicles from 43 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Canada. This DeSoto 51

year, the event already has vehicles registered from Canada and Australia.

Although some car-related events are model-specific, Cruisin’ the Coast attracts a diverse group of vehicles - from a quarter-million dollar roadster to a $1,500 rat rod, Grisoli said.

“Everybody is equal here,” he said. “We put a premium on driving. If you have a vehicle that you take down off the car carrier and it just sits there, this is not the event for you.”

Cruisin’ the Coast features a poker run type atmosphere, in which drivers collect stamps at six locations along U.S. 90 from Bay St. Louis through Gulfport and Biloxi to Ocean Springs. About 85 percent of the drive allows drivers to see the waters of the Gulf, Grisoli said.

“We have a very rich car culture down here,” Grisoli added. “We’d like to think that Cruisin’ the Coast had something to do with that, but a lot of the car clubs down here have been around for 30 or 40 years.”

Mike Martin is a past president of the Mississippi Classic Cruisers car club in Madison - one of about two dozen organized automobile clubs in the state. He said he’s been active in the group for more than a dozen years, helping organize fundraising events like the Scarecrow Cruise and Car Show in October that has raised $125,000 since its inception for SIDS research and Hope Hollow Ministries in Canton.

“There’s a good many car clubs in Mississippi,” the 67-year-old Martin said. “There’s a good bit of interest in automobiles. We have mostly older folks, but there are some younger folks, too. It’s just easy to talk about cars.”

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Danny Holland said he believes society’s interest in cars stems from memories of the past. When his wife Linda was young, her dad traded in the family’s high-end Oldsmobile for a 1964 Mercury.

There was no air conditioning in the Mercury, but the rear windows rolled down. Summertime in rural Mississippi and a car without air conditioning was a nightmare, he said.

“When we got married, I told her my favorite car was a Mercury,” said Holland, who runs the Cotton Warehouse, a farmers’ market and classic car dealership in Batesville. “She said, ‘I hate a Mercury’ because of what happened when she was younger.”

Holland’s Cotton Warehouse features about 30 vehicles ranging in age from a 1930 Ford Model A Cabriolet to a 2004 Chevrolet SSR convertible pickup, with a VW Beetle, Chevy Corvettes and a 1964 Mercury in between. The vehicles are driven every couple of weeks to keep them in good working order, Holland said.

“And when my wife takes one out, which one do you think she chooses?” Holland asked. “The Mercury. Everybody loves cars. They bring back memories - good or bad. People can relive their childhood days with cars.”

Pegram agreed, thinking about milking cows at 4 a.m. as a teenager so he could save enough money to buy his first car - that ‘36 Ford. Today, Pegram has another ‘36 Ford, this one a sedan. And he takes it to car shows occasionally.

He has been to Cruisin’ the Coast twice over the years, driving down for his first in a 1935 Oldsmobile and the second time in his ‘66 GTO.

“It’s not a hobby; it’s an addiction,” Pegram said of his love for cars.

Grisoli said he and his wife joined a local Mustang club - they own a ‘67 Mustang convertible.

“That’s how we got involved in Cruisin’ the Coast,” he said. “But I’ve always been an old car guy.”

Although many of the car shows are fundraisers, Grisoli said, Cruisin’ the Coast is an economic development engine, established to bring tourists to the Mississippi Gulf Coast. A 2011 economic study showed that the event generated more than $21 million in the state, including $19.6 million along the coast.

Cruisers come from across the country, bringing their prized possession to Mississippi - Ford Model Ts from 1909-14; a 1937 Hudson Terraplane; plenty of 1960s and ‘70s Mustangs, Camaros and other muscle cars; and the Tri-Fives, Chevys from 1955-57.

The rarest to show up at Cruisin’ the Coast, according to Grisoli, was a 1935 Auburn Boattail speedster that was registered last year. The value of these vehicles range from $450,000 to $900,000.

“A lot of people have invested a lot of time and money in their vehicles, and they want to get out and drive,” Grisoli said.

“The common thread is that we all love classic and antique cars.’

“But the biggest thing we hear about is the hospitality and friendliness in Mississippi - and the willingness to help.

There’s not a stranger down here during the event.”

“It’s not a hobby; it’s an addiction.”

Joe Pegram

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SEC Football Traditions

By Cheré Coen Photography by sportingnews.com, saturdaydownsouth.com, and espn.go.com

Years ago, I attended a private East Coast college. When the money ran out, a good friend at LSU invited me to tour the campus. When we paused at the massive “Death Valley” stadium, he shared in detail the Tiger Band’s pregame show from the moment they left the band room, descended the hill, marched on to the field and played “Tiger Rag.”

To this day I can remember the chills. The only thing better was standing in those stands as an LSU student, watching that band take the field.

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Calling of the Hogs

You may be familiar with the Hotty Toddy and the cowbell, but there are numerous football traditions coursing throughout the Southeastern Conference.

And most of them rival the Tiger Band in intensity and incite emotions at the South’s most beloved sport.

Arkansas

There’s one mean animal roaming the hills of Arkansas, so it’s only natural that the University of Arkansas would claim it as their mascot. The live mascot, however, is not just any razorback but a Russian boar by the name of Tusk III. He’s one in a long line of honored pigs who lives on a spacious farm in Dardanelle, Ark. On game days Tusk heads to Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville where fans turn into hogs by cheering what is known as the “Calling of the Hogs.” Fans wiggle their fingers and raise their hands over their heads for about six seconds as they say “Woooo.” They then bring their hands down as they call out “Pig, Sooie.” Razorback fans do this three times and on the final cheer call out “Razorbacks.”

at the University of Georgia offer up a song for “Calling the Dawgs,” one that ends with a woof. Their mascot is pretty cute, too, an adorable English bulldog named Uga. There’s even a Dawg Walk, where thousands greet the players and coaches at the main entrance to Sanford Stadium while the Georgia Redcoat Band plays.

If the football team wins, fans head to the Chapel Bell on the North Campus and ring it into the night. The bell has been used to signal classes beginning and ending and was once a World War II air raid signal. On the superstitious side, the black iron arch on the North Campus, built in the late 1850s, mirrors the Georgia flag by representing justice, moderation and wisdom. Undergraduates are warned not to walk under the arch until after commencement for fear of not graduating.

Georgia

Arkansas may be hogs, but Georgia has gone to the dogs. Heading into the country’s 10th largest stadium, students

Tennessee

The University of Tennessee and its football stadium rest alongside the Tennessee River, making it one of only two

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Georgia’s Uga

U.S. college football stadiums accessible by water. Fans in their boats park outside the stadium and tailgate on the water, watching the game by TV if they aren’t able to nab tickets on dry land. This “Vol Navy” can attract around 200 boats per football game.

Alabama

Ever wonder why Alabama chose an elephant as its mascot and refers to the team as the “crimson tide” since the school exists in Tuscaloosa, an inland north Alabama town?

When Alabama played in the 1927 Rose Bowl, the Rosenberger’s Birmingham Trunk Company outfitted them with luggage sporting the company’s elephant trademark. Another story has it that Atlanta Journal sportswriter Everett Strupper wrote, “At the end of the quarter, the earth started to tremble, there was a distant rumble that continued to grow. Some excited fan in the stands bellowed, ‘Hold your horses, the elephants are coming,’ and out stamped DeSoto 57

Alabama’s mascot “Big Al”

Auburn’s Toomer’s Corner

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this Alabama varsity.”

As for the crimson tide, the original team was known as the “Crimson White.”

When the team played Auburn in white jerseys in the 1907 Iron Bowl, Birmingham Age-Herald sportswriter Hugh Roberts remarked how the game turned to a sea of red due to the state’s red mud on the field.

Auburn

It’s legend that when you move to Alabama, people demand to know if you’re a Bama fan or an Auburn fan. It’s a longstanding rivalry of immense proportions.

After the 2010 Iron Bowl — the annual gridiron battle between Auburn and Alabama — the famed oak trees of “Toomer’s Corner” were poisoned by an Alabama fan and after attempts to heal the trees failed, were cut down.

The perpetrator was discovered and is no means a representative of his school, but the outpouring of support for the school’s beloved trees was impressive.

Alabama State Sen. Sheldon Toomer planted this grove of oak trees in 1937, a part of the campus now known as “Toomer’s Corner.” Fans would don the trees with toilet paper after winning games, turning them into what looked like a winter wonderland.

New trees have been planted to replace the ones that died, but fans must wait until the trees acclimate before the rolling can resume.

South Carolina

Another famous rivalry exists between South Carolina and Clemson and before the two teams meet, South Carolina holds a “Tiger Burn” in which a massive papier-maché tiger is burned to the ground, surrounded by cheering fans.

The Gamecocks also offer a unique form of tailgating in which cabooses line a railroad track outside Williams-Brice Stadium to form a Cockaboose. Each railroad car is privately owned and outfitted for tailgating in style. There are annual dues and a few rules, most notably to not alter the red exterior that sports the words, “South Carolina Cockaboose Railroad.”

Texas A&M

Texas A&M is new to the SEC Conference and one that’s chock-full of traditions. Students say “Howdy” to others they meet, an act encouraged as the official DeSoto 59

A&M greeting. Many say goodbye with a “Gig ’em!” shout, a tradition that hails back to a 1930 football game against Texas Christian University, known as the Horned Frogs. A&M graduate Pinky Downs wanted to incite a crowd gathered for a midnight yell practice and asked, “What are we going to do to those Horned Frogs?” The answer was “Gig ‘em,” referring to what Southerners do to frogs when hunting the amphibians. Downs gave them the thumbs up while holding a fist and this hand gesture became the first of its kind in the Southwest Conference.

University of Florida

In 1949, George Edmondson didn’t like the Florida fans booing the team so he jumped up and started a cheer that’s become legend. Edmondson was called Mr. Two Bits and at every Gator home football game you’ll hear “Two-bits, Four-bits, Sixbits, a dollar. All for the Gators, Stand up and holler!” And between the third and the fourth quarter all fans stand up, lock arms and sing “We Are The Boys.”

LSU The LSU Tiger Marching Band, also called The Golden Band from Tigerland, leaves the band room and marches to Tiger Stadium down what is known as Victory Hill. Thousands line the side of the road to watch the band pass by and perform.

Then, 15 minutes before kickoff, the band silently marches on to the field of Death Valley, spreading out and pausing in front of the student section. Only the sound of drumsticks can be heard while the entire 92,000-plus fans stand and watch in silence.

At the right moment, band members flip their instruments, point toward the stands and begin “Tiger Rag” and the crowd roars its approval. After the band turns toward every section of Tiger Stadium, and those sections respond, it spells out LSU. University of Missouri

Mizzou has traditions for students coming and going. Incoming freshmen paint the 90-foot-wide by 95-foot-high “M” on the side of the stadium, a tradition that dates back to 1927 when students hauled in rocks to form the symbol. Another tradition, although not an easy one to do considering students aren’t allowed in the stadium, is for outgoing Mizzou seniors to kiss the 50 yard line.

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Vanderbilt

A naval horn was launched on top of the press box of Vanderbilt Stadium in 1993, used by Vanderbilt’s Navy ROTC to call fans to pre-game activities and when the football team arrives on the field. Known as “The Admiral” and named by Bob Redd, a fan who won the naming contest in 2011, the horn is also sounded after every Commodore score.

Kentucky

The University of Kentucky took their mascot when a former university official told a group of students that the team had “fought like Wildcats.” On game day, fans begin the game with a “Call to the Post,” mirroring when horses are called to the post for the Kentucky Derby. And if you’re tailgating in Lexington, you’d better be toting some good ole Kentucky bourbon.

Mizzou freshmen paint the “M”

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MAKING

Shine

By Charlene Oldham. Photography courtesy of Gatlinburg CVB

Those looking for a unique counterbalance to caffeine might consider adding a splash of moonshine to their morning coffee.

While the pairing might initially seem odd, the two beverages come together to create a common combination, when that corn whiskey is the new Pumpkin Spice Moonshine produced by Sugarlands Distilling Company.

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But Gatlinburg, Tennessee-based Sugarlands is more than just a distillery.

Since opening its doors in 2014, it has positioned itself as a tourist attraction that draws more than one million visitors annually with free tastings, tours and events including live bluegrass performances at its on-site stage.

Though making moonshine is now legal in many parts of the country thanks to loosened liquor laws, moonshine’s mystique extends from the days when recent immigrants from Scotland and Ireland transformed their corn crops into an easierto-transport commodity to bootleggers who outran law men and tax men in soupedup cars during the days of Prohibition and beyond. Before it took on outlaw connotations, however, the unaged whiskey was a way for those living in hardscrabble conditions to provide for their families, with every moonshiner perfecting their own recipe.

“We really wanted to base our distillery on that heritage and pay homage to the moonshiners and what they did,” said Greg Eidam II, Sugarlands’ head distiller.

“It was an art we felt was kind of being lost, so we wanted to tap into that knowledge base.”

Sugarlands uses traditional ingredients including Tennessee white corn and water from the Smoky Mountains to make its products, but adds modern moonshiner twists. For example, among its varieties is its top-selling Appalachian Apple Pie Moonshine, a traditional flavor favorite.

Rather than using the more conventional red apples and cinnamon in the mix, Sugarlands adds Granny Smith apples and caramel. Distillers are always working on new varieties, said Eidam, and some flavors – like Pumpkin Spice – stem from customers’ suggestions. Developing a new product is a complex process that includes everything from securing federal permits to finding the perfect balance between flavors and alcohol content.

“I’ve been playing with a couple for maybe two years and there still is something not quite right about them that we just haven’t been able to figure out,” he said.

Distillers perfected the Pumpkin Spice flavor last year, but couldn’t get all the pieces in place for a fall release, so they shelved it. Eidam said timing is important because each flavor seems to lend itself to a certain setting.

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“It really de pends on the atmosphere – where you are, who you’re with, whether it’s hot or cold out.”

Eidam developed a new appreciation for Sugarland’s Blockader’s Blackberry flavor when floating on the river with friends. They shared a jar straight out of the cooler and, somehow, the sips were better than in any other spot. He hopes visitors to the distillery, which is just outside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, can experience similarly serendipitous moments. To facilitate that, Sugarlands collaborates with Great Smoky Mountain Guides, a tour company which offers excursions including corporate retreats, multi-day treks, half-day hikes and a Mountains and Moonshine motor tour, said Clayton LaPrees, SMG’s owner and operator.

“We want to enhance that connection between moder n-day moonshine and what it was 50 or even 100 years ago,” LaPrees said. “It’s an interpretative tour of how moonshine has affected the area. The Sugarlands Valley is kind of a museum come to life. Then we come back to the distillery for a sampling and a behind-the-scenes look at how it’s created today.”

A growing number of tour companies around the country are creating food-and-beverage focused tours to cater to an expanding audience of travelers who want to attend cooking classes, shop at local farmers markets and visit wineries and distilleries while on vacation. A recent survey by the World Food Travel Association showed 47 percent of American leisure travelers could be defined as “culinary travelers” -- vacationers who participated in a unique or memorable food or drink experience on a recent trip and for whom food or drink experiences are a prime motivator in choosing a destination. Far more participated in some kind of culinary activity, although it may not have been a major motivator behind choosing the destination, said Erik Wolf, the association’s executive director. Overall, the report surveyed leisure travelers in several countries, and 93 percent of respondents said they had participated in a unique food or beverage activity while traveling in the past two years.

“And, by culinary activity, we mean something other than just going out to a restaurant,” he said. “That’s pretty DeSoto 67

significant and it represents a surge in interest. We attribute that, in part, to the effect of the media.”

Wolf cites travel shows like “Three Sheets.” Moonshine even has shows and videos dedicated specifically to distilling white whiskey, including legendary moonshiner “Popcorn” Sutton’s video of his last run and the “Moonshiners” series on the Discovery channel, said Eidam.

Shows and YouTube videos have broadened people’s knowledge of the craft and inspired those who might have an old family recipe of their own to visit places like Gatlinburg, which is home to other moonshine makers including, Ole Smoky, Tennessee’s first modern legal distillery, which opened in 2010.

“So it’s become known as a moonshine destination. And now people who are interested come here just for that,” Eidam said.

LaPrees, the tour guide, hopes they’ll also take the time to get a taste of the history behind moonshine, and take a trip into the mountains that helps give the corn whiskey its flavor in more ways than one.

“It’s easy to sell a jar of moonshine to somebody because that’s the new thing.

To take it a step further and enhance that with a look into the whole culture of moonshine -- if they are able to take back that experience and the product makes it that much better.”

Here are a few Pumpkin Spice Moonshine cocktail recipes developed by Reede Copeland, Sugarlands’ assistant general manager for retail.

Pumpkin Spice Coffee (aka The Basic B): 2 oz of Sugarlands Pumpkin Spice Moonshine 5 oz of premium iced coffee 1 oz of Monin Pumpkin Pie Syrup (available online) 1 oz of half and half 1/4 teaspoon of brown sugar Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake well. Strain over ice in glass and garnish with whipped cream and a sprinkle of fresh ground nutmeg.

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Pumpkin PieSlide 2 oz of Sugarlands Pumpkin Spice Moonshine 1 1/2 cups of Vanilla Ice Cream 1 1/2 oz of fresh pumpkin or pumpkin puree 3 oz milk 1 scoop of crushed ice Combine all ingredients in a blender.

Blend well and serve in a mug topped with toasted pumpkin seeds.

Pumpkin Pie Martini 2 oz of Sugarlands Pumpkin Spice Moonshine 1/2 oz of coffee liquor 1/2 oz of Irish cream 2 oz of half and half Combine ingredients in a mixing tin with ice. Shake well and strain in to a *garnished martini glass. *Garnish glass with marshmallow fluff on rim and then rolled in crushed graham crackers.

Pumpkin Pie Martini

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homegrown } battle bells

Bulldog Battle Cry

By Andrea Brown Ross. Photography courtesy of BattleBells

Now back with a friendly vengeance, the ringing of cowbells has become a beloved tradition for a new generation of Mississippi State University Bulldog fans.

When pondering what would constitute the symbolic attributes of a university’s proud tradition, one’s thoughts may turn to something timeless, majestic, perhaps even regal. A cowbell, quite frankly, may not be the first thing that comes to mind. However, for Bulldog fans, nothing could be more distinctive than that very thing. Mississippi State alums and owners of BattleBells, Stephen Caples and John Howell, have turned this seemingly unusual tradition into a business that creates heirloom bells, a perfect gift for university alumni and fans.

But this begs the question as to how ringing a cowbell became a tradition. According to the Mississippi State University website, “The precise origin of the cowbell as a fixture of Mississippi State sports tradition remains unclear to this day. The best records have cowbells gradually introduced to the MSU sports scene in the late 1930s and early 1940s, coinciding with the ‘golden age’ of Mississippi State football 70 DeSoto

success prior to World War II.”

The university website continues, “The most popular legend is that during a home football game between State and arch-rival Mississippi, a jersey cow wandered onto the playing field. Mississippi State soundly whipped the Rebels that Saturday, and State College students immediately adopted the cow as a good luck charm. Students are said to have continued bringing a cow to football games for a while, until the practice was eventually discontinued in favor of bringing just the cow’s bell.”

Due to the overwhelming popularity of bringing cowbells to games, the university established the cowbell as a “special symbol” in the 1960s. After two university professors created handles for the cowbells for the sake of convenience, the demand exploded. Handles also allowed the cowbells to be rung with authority, according to the website. “Flaunting this anachronism from the ‘aggie’ days was a proud response by

students and alumni to outsider scorn of the university’s ‘cow college’ history.”

In 1974, when the Southeastern Conference banned artificial noisemakers at football and basketball games, this included cowbells. When the ban was lifted for cowbells in 2010, Bulldogs could ring their bells during pregame, timeouts, halftime, and after the Bulldogs score.

As students, Caples and Howell began their company in 2012. Caples elaborated.

“BattleBells started in 2012 when John and I started selling cowbells to fans. We had several ideas to start a business, but we ultimately decided that cowbells would be a great idea to start off with.”

After importing their bells from overseas, they realized their products weren’t unique from other bells being sold. They began to rethink their product line.

“With the help of InnovateMS, a non-profit organization that helps small businesses, we were able to pitch the idea of our own bells to local manufacturers. We made a deal with a manufacturer, Long Branch Company, based in West Point, Miss. and began developing our line of products.

After developing our style of bells, we went to market in Fall 2013, and haven’t looked back,” shared Caples.

With an eye on keeping their bells unique, BattleBells are customizable.

“Our bells are made from stainless steel. They are formed into shells and TIG welded together to make one uniform body. This form of welding is complex, and takes years to master. The handle is stained mahogany, walnut, or oak. It is made to be removable from the bell itself, so the customer can customize their own handles,” he said.

Mississippi State alum and owner of Bon Von Gifts in Hernando, Miss., Erin Fletcher, was excited when she saw BattleBells at market.

“I knew right away our store had to carry them. And as I predicted, we quickly sold out of them. They make a great graduation gift, whether someone keeps them at home or the office. I have also seen some at football games. Alums bring them along as a good luck charm.”

BattleBells can be engraved or monogrammed to make them a special gift.

“As tradition goes, cowbells are to be gifted to someone.

We’ve had customers drive from a few hours away to purchase one. Since each one is unique, they wanted to see each one in person, before making a decision,” she said.

Depending on the model, BattleBells retail around a few hundred dollars. BattleBell products include a set of earplugs for those who choose to ring their bell at events.

Customers are informed that true to the namesake, BattleBells ring louder than typical bells, and to “ring responsibly”.

Caples continued. “Each bell is unique. Meaning, each bell, although similar in build, is different, simply because they are handmade by talented workers. They truly care about the product. Our bells are made to be the best in the business and to last a lifetime.”

Just like the spirit of Mississippi State itself. www.battlebells.com

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southern harmony } the cains

A Family Trio

By Debra Pamplin. Photography courtesy of soundslikenashville.com and theshotgunseat.com

To say the Cains are a family business is an understatement. Taylor, Madison and Logan have always been a trio of tight-knit siblings, and that bond shines through their tight-knit harmonies.

The Cain sisters and brother got their start when oldest sibling, Taylor, learned her first song on the piano at the young age of five. Hartselle, Alabama is where The Cains grew up, and Southern traditions are subtly added throughout the tone and lyrics in many of their songs. The trio gave their first performance of “Mary Did You Know” at the annual Christmas play.

It is common knowledge that the stair-step siblings were harmonizing with each other shortly after learning to talk.

Their passion for music is what keeps them close. The trio are 72 DeSoto

not just singers; they write songs, play a handful of instruments and are true entertainers.

The trio were homeschooled until high school, with all three attending Troy University together. During their time at Troy, the Cains entered and won a video contest. To enter the contest, participants were required to perform two original songs and one cover song. Since the siblings hadn’t yet written any songs, they spent some time locked away in their apartment and wrote, “Stay on Board”, which would become the title track of their first album.

Along with the win, the siblings received the opportunity to open for Dave Barnes for the WorkPlay Theatre in Birmingham. “Because of our awesome friends and family, the show sold out just 30 minutes after adding our name to the ticket,” Madison shared.

Logan also shared, “Our hope is to brand ourselves as ‘fun music,’ All I know is that no matter the song or genre, we want our songs to be uplifting, joy-filled and fun.”

Each of the trio describe what ‘Stay On Board’ means to them.

Taylor: “It basically describes how and where this music could even take us. We were all about to split and go different directions so it was really bitter sweet but we were just hopeful that maybe this would take us somewhere.”

Logan: “I couldn’t believe that this song that we wrote hoping we would just stay together as a family has now come to life and we’re in this band, so it was a great moment. “

Madison: “That Christmas of 2012, that’s when Taylor and I moved away from Logan and our parents printed out the lyrics of that song and framed it not even knowing that we would ever record the song. It was almost like a goodbye present to each of us and we all just sobbed. “

Just last year, their song, “Journey’s End” was released in May, and displays a pop-meets-country sound. The song’s video was aired on CMT, and featured precious footage of the trio’s early years.

The hit, “Knock, knock” debuted on CMT in

February of this year, with positive results. Most recently, the trio has finished up another album, released on July 21st.

The Cains have been compared to such groups as The Band Perry and The Carpenters, with their sound being likened to The Eagles.

“It’s a very light sound, great vocal blend and tight harmonies,” said Taylor. The trio also describes their sound as ‘fun’ and ‘organic’. Their songs are written in an upbeat and happy manner, with the hope of helping someone have a brighter day.

In addition to writing their own songs, the siblings also collaborate on new material with established Nashville songwriters. They say their creativity, confidence and genuine enthusiasm belongs to their strong faith in God, and they feel blessed to have such loyal, supportive fans, friends and family along for the adventure. www.thecainsofficial.com

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table talk} kermit’s outlaw kitchen

The Downstairs Kitchen

Vegetable Art Project

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Tupelo’s Culinary Outlaws Story and photography by James Richardson

Tupelo’s Main Street may look a little different to those who haven’t visited in a few years.

Among the changes, Kermit’s Outlaw Kitchen opened three years ago on the crest of the farm-to-table restaurant movement and the use of only local or regional ingredients.

Their menus change weekly, or sometimes more often than that according to one of the owners, Mitchell McCamey.

“We write the menu every week to every day depending on what we get out of the ground. It’s really that simple.”

Kermit’s head chef John David Dill further explained.

“We do change the menu, but pretty much keep the same proteins. Seasonally, your proteins don’t change too much, but throughout the year, the vegetables do. Mitchell will tell you that there are 52 seasons a year. So, we change the menu every time a new product comes in. It doesn’t change drastically, but it does change depending on what we have to offer.”

Mitchell, along with Seth Copeland, Trish McClooney, and Mitch’s and Seth’s mothers Donna McCamey and Melanie Philpot, are the owners of Kermit’s, perhaps an unusual name for a restaurant. “Outlaw Kitchen comes from us wanting to break the rules for food presentation. When it comes to food, you can only have so many combinations and flavors, so we kinda try to think outside the box. That was the original meaning behind it,” explained Dill. That explained the “outlaw” part, but how about the name Kermit?

Mitchell related the story of Kermit’s origin.

“Kermit’s is really cool. Kermit’s is a 140 year-old building.

That’s crazy old. One of my friends bought this block and asked me to put a restaurant here. I didn’t want to do a restaurant downtown. Tupelo had 15 vacant buildings DeSoto 75

Bar Manager, Megan Dye

downtown. Eventually, they talked me into it. I never thought I would be able to put my hands on such an old beautiful building again. There was a bakery in here for 50 years. The owners lived upstairs. They were famous, they made Elvis’ birthday cakes before Elvis was Elvis. They were the bakery in Tupelo in the late 1930s. Kermit and Clara were the bakers, and we named the restaurant after Kermit.”

Mitchell’s return to Tupelo came after years outside of Mississippi.

“I lived out West in Colorado for about nine years and then I moved to Birmingham. We came home and decided we were gonna start a restaurant here.

Actually, I’m from a small town near Tupelo called Okolona. After being gone for ten years, I came back. I’ve got two partners, Seth and Trish. We started the Neon Pig and then Seth and I, and our moms, opened up Kermit’s. Then we put a Neon Pig in Oxford. We opened up three restaurants in about three years. And we are getting ready to open up more in Oxford, Starkville, and Tupelo.”

Things are going well for Kermit’s and the Neon Pig. Their mission is to support local farmers, both cattle, chicken, and pig farmers, and vegetable and fruit farmers. “We also support local craftsmen, anybody making local butter, jellies, jams, olive oils, cheese, candles, whatever. We like everything we can get to be local or regional.” For instance, the cakes on the menu at Kermit’s are from Marian Fay Maloney and her Memory Orchards.

“The cakes are made from all natural ingredients. She makes all her ingredients. She even mills her own flour. Being the bar manager, I try to bring the kitchen ingredients to the bar. For instance, right now I have plum brandy, plum liqueur. We try to complement the bar with what the kitchen is working on,” said Megan Dye, the bar manager.

Mitchell further explained the restaurant’s vision. “Ours is a wood-grilled restaurant and its emphasis is on fresh vegetables. We don’t buy just a few local 76 DeSoto

vegetables. We buy farmers out. Like, we need six cases of blueberries. Four cases of peaches. Two cases of concord grapes.

Twelve cases of local tomatoes.”

One of the items on the weekly menu is their Vegetable Art Project. The menu description states that it is a “showcase of our local vegetables”.

“This is pretty much a tribute to all our local farmers. We try to incorporate all their ingredients that we get. Really, that’s the key to this restaurant. It’s the passion of our farmers coming out on the plate. All these things are hand picked by these guys.

And when they run across something cool like these tomatoes, they can’t wait to get them here. They know we want these things.

We try to showcase everything our farmers are doing for us, and kinda giving a tribute to them,” said Dill.

Kermit’s Outlaw Kitchen 124 W. Main Street Tupelo, Miss. 38804 (662) 620-6622 www.kermitsoutlawkitchen.com DeSoto 77

in good spirits} michelada

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Mexico’s Michelada

By Cheré Coen. Photography courtesy aliandecho.com

Cerveza — that’s beer to gringos — makes up the base of the michelada (pronounced mee-che-LAH-dah), a popular drink in Mexico. The cocktail known as cervezas preparada mixes beer, hot sauce, tomato juice, lime juice and Worcestershire sauce over ice with a rim accented by salt like a margarita. Like popular drinks in America, where you enjoy the michelada depends on what’s in it. For instance, lime and sea salt make up a “chelada” and Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, chili and salt a “cubana.”

American beer companies got in on the michelada act with Miller producing Miller Chill, a beer with a hint of lime and a pinch of salt, aimed at recreating the chelada-style drink. Anheuser-Busch offered Bud Light Lime that was low in calories. In Mexico, there are michelada beers sold in cans and bottles.

Regardless of how it’s prepared, the michelada is a refreshing drink for hot times. And for some, it’s a spirited remedy for hangovers, hence the nickname the Mexican Bloody Mary.

The following is a version of the michelada by Denise Gee, author of “Southern Cocktails” and “Porch Parties: Cocktail Recipes and Easy Ideas for Outdoor Entertaining.”

Gee prefers fresh lime juice only and soy sauce instead of Worcestershire. For the rim, she combines sea salt with chili powder and lime and recommends New Mexico’s chimayo chili powder for its “deep red color, earthy flavor and medium heat.”

What beer you use will make a difference, Gee insists.

Dark Mexican beer such as Negra Modelo will produce a denser drink while lighter beer will make it bubbly.

Michelada From “Porch Parties: Cocktail Recipes and Easy Ideas for Outdoor Entertaining” by Denise Gee For the Rim: 2 tablespoons kosher or coarse sea salt 2 tablespoons salt-free chile powder 1 lime wedge For the cocktail: 2 ounces fresh lime juice Hot sauce Soy sauce Four 12-ounce bottles of Mexican beer Lime wedges for added flavor and garnish Directions: Combine the salt and chili powder in a small shallow dish.

Moisten the rims of four pilsner glasses or beer mugs with the lime wedge. Dip the rims into the chile salt and set aside.

Add ½ ounce lime juice to each glass and fill with ice about halfway. Add a dash or two of hot sauce and soy sauce to each glass and top off with the beer. Add more lime wedges as desired.

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exploring events } september When Modern Was Contemporary: Selections from the Roy R. Neuberger Collection Through October 30 Mississippi Museum of Art Jackson, MS For more information visit www.msmuseumart.org or call 601-960-1515.

45th Annual Germantown festival September 10 - 11 Germantown Civic Club Complex Germantown, TN Arts & crafts, food, kids activities, running of the weenies and much more. For more information visit germantownfest.com or call 901-757-9212.

Stevie Ray Vaughan Exhibit June 30 - October 16 GRAMMY Museum Cleveland, MS Pride & Joy: The Texas Blues of Stevie Ray Vaughan, a traveling exhibit curated by the GRAMMY MUSEUM at L.A. LIVE, offers visitors an in-depth look at the iconic career of Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Jimmie Vaughan, Stevie’s brother, serves as a guest curator.

For more information contact: Vickie Jackson @ vjackson@ grammymuseumms.org or call her at 662-441-0100 or 662-558-1486.

Belmont Bear Creek Festival September 10 C.C. Shook Park Belmont, MS This festival consists of arts, crafts, food, games, a 5k fun run, live music and antique car show. For more information call 662-454-7196.

Bridging the Blues September - October Arkansas, Memphis and Mississippi Events include the Mighty Mississippi Music Festival (formerly Highway 61 Blues Festival) in Greenville, Mississippi, and the worldfamous King Biscuit Blues Festival in Helena, Arkansas.

For more information visit www.bridgingtheblues.com.

DeSoto Family Theatre Presents Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” September 1 - 11 Landers Center Theatre Southaven, MS Purchase tickets at LANDERS Center box office, 662-470-2131, www.ticketmaster.com or call the DFT office at 662-280-6546. For additional information visit, www.dftonline.org.

Iuka Heritage Festival September 2 - 3 Iuka, MS Arts and Crafts, food vendors, entertainment, and much more. For more information call 662-423-8421.

Jamey Johnson September 7 Temple Theater Meridian, MS The Jimmie Rodgers Foundation presents Grammy Award winner Jamey Johnson, along with Nashville’s John Byron and Jackson Nance, live at historic Temple Theater. Celebrate the Father of Country Music, Meridian’s own Jimmie Rodgers, on the anniversary of his 110th birthday. For ticket information call 601-693-5353.

Hummingbird Migration Celebration & Nature Festival September 9 - 11 Strawberry Plains Audubon Center Holly Springs, MS 9:00AM - 5:00PM Live Hummingbird banding & release, kids area, live animal presentations, artisans & vendors, native plant sale and more.

For more information visit strawberryplains.audubon.org or call 662-252-1155.

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Paul Thorn September 10 Helena River Park Helena, AR 7:30PM Presented live as a fundraiser to benefit the King Biscuit Blues Festival. Buy tickets at www.kingbiscuitfestival.com.

37th Annual Baddour Fashion Show September 12 Hilton Memphis Memphis, TN 11:00AM - 1:30PM For more information visit www.baddour.org or call 888-4BADDOUR. Music by Den of Strings and New Ballet Ensemble Selection from Free Fall September 14 Theatre Memphis Memphis, TN 1:00PM - 3:00PM For more information call 901-485-5369.

Delta Rice Promotions, Inc. 26th Annual Rice Tasting Luncheon September 16th 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Tickets are $5.00 at the door DSU Walter Sillers Coliseum Cleveland, MS Each year Delta Rice Promotions, Inc. participates in the celebration of September’s National Rice Month by sponsoring the Annual Rice Tasting Luncheon. This event brings around 1,000 people from all regions of the country, along with Delta Rice farmers and industries.

The Festivities include over 300 different rice dishes. Please call 662-843-8371 for more information.

36th Annual 300 Oaks Road Race September 17 Greenwood, MS Featuring a 10K run, 5K run, 5K Walk and One-Mile Fun Run. For more information visit www.300oaks.com or call 662-453-4152.

Art Paired: Fine-Craft & Finely-Crafted Libations September 17 - 18 Racquet Club of Memphis Memphis, TN

An indoor art fair coupled with tastings of wine and distilled spirits. Works in glass, metal, wood, clay, fiber, plus paintings, jewelry and more by artists from across the U.S. and right here in the Midsouth. Tickets and more information available at: www.ArtPaired.com, www.artworks.foundation, or eventbrite.com.

Wings Polo Classic September 18 Memphis Polo Club Memphis, TN Big hats, sundresses, divot stomping, silent auction and more. For more information visit www.westfighton.com/events/wings-poloclassic/ or call 901-683-0055 ext. 61333.

Natchez Fall Pilgrimage September 23 - October 10 Natchez, MS For more information visit www.natchezpilgrimage.com or call 800-647-6742.

160th Annual Mid-South Fair September 23 - October 2 Landers Center Southaven, MS Enjoy ten days of fun where you will find many amusement rides, carnival games, outdoor live entertainment, livestock and talent shows, all types of fair food. For a schedule of all events and additional information, visit www.midsouthfair.com or call 901-274-8800.

Live at the Garden - Sheryl Crow September 23 Memphis Botanic Gardens Memphis, TN Gates open at 6:30pm. Show starts at 8:30pm.

For more information visit liveatthegarden.com or call 901-636-4107.

Burnsville Waterway Festival September 24 Burnsville Fire Department/City Hall Burnsville, MS Car show, 5K run, arts & crafts, food, live entertainment and bingo. For more information call 662-427-9526.

Trash & Treasures Along the Tenn-Tom Waterway September 30 - October 1 Iuka, MS The 50+ mile route of this massive yard sale starts on Hwy. 25 north of Iuka and continues along and adjacent to the Tenn-Tom Waterway all the way to the Belmont/Golden area. You can set up and sell, or browse and buy.

For more information call 800-386-4373.

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reflections} sleep

Sleep

By Karen Ott Mayer

Sleep. Kids avoid it, adults can’t wait for it. I can’t help thinking about it this time of year when schools reopen because schedules change and carefree summer days suddenly become restricted schedules.

In what seemed to be broad daylight, we had to climb in bed. My sister and I would whine and question the fairness of it all.

“But Mom, it’s still light outside!” To her credit, I’m sure it was closer to 8:00 p.m. when most whiney little girls should be in bed, but what did we know?

As soon as my mother disappeared, our antics began.

We’d do everything but go to sleep. We’d throw dolls back and forth between the twin beds, cross our legs Indian style and walk around on our knees. We’d build forts with our pillows and covers. Even when twilight surrendered to full darkness, I still felt restless. Long after Jenny had gone to sleep, I’d still be awake. Pulling pads, pencils and coloring books from under the bed, I’d read or sketch by the hallway light, which is probably the reason I wear glasses now and my sister doesn’t. Or, I’d climb out of bed and sit by the open window, wondering what was happening out in the world.

Stories of kids, school and sleep abound. If kindergardeners have one thing over all of us, it’s their afternoon siesta. While American businesses would frown heavily to see an employee sleeping for an hour after lunch, many countries and cultures think we’re nothing short of nuts for not resting. Companies are running around proclaiming to promote wellness but value those who work 12-hour days and subsist on stress and caffeine.

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Here’s a suggestion for the wellness gurus: Institute a nap. Give folks a good old-fashioned mid-day snooze. It’s free, takes no equipment, training or incentive. According to the National Sleep Foundation, people feel naturally tired at two times during the day--- 2:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Also, man is the only mammal that willingly delays sleep. Even dogs seem smarter than us in this department.

My sister told me a story about one of her kindergardeners who she then taught in first grade. She said when noon came, he was ready go home. She explained that in first grade, kids stayed all day with no naps. Without hesitation, the boy looked at her and replied, “Well, who signed me up for this?” Maybe he should run for president.

While some proudly proclaim they can run on about four hours sleep, I don’t mind confessing this is genetically impossible for me. I love to sleep. In fact, if I run short of a good solid eight hours, I’m a babbling fool. I may lose things, lose direction and generally whine worse than my niece.

When the clock falls back every year, I hold mixed feelings. I relish Autumn, cooler evenings and the feeling of a season winding down. As darkness cloaks us again for the winter, I feel both relieved and confined. But what great sleeping weather…

I think Mom is right. When the world seems upside down, sleep can mysteriously change our outlook. Maybe life isn’t perfect when the alarm rings, but at least the world looks new in our eyes.

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