DeSoto Magazine September 2018

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September CONTENTS 2018 • VOLUME 15 • NO. 9

features 46 Covered Bridges & Grist Mills Driving to Days Gone By

60 Festival Time Having Fun & Making a Difference

54 Fiercest Football Rivalries Egg Bowl, Iron Bowl, & More

departments 14 Living Well The notOK™ App

42 On the Road Again Tuscaloosa, Alabama

18 Notables Cory Uselton

44 Greater Goods 66 Homegrown Pancho’s Cheese Dip

22 Exploring Art Photographer Rory Doyle

70 Southern Gentleman Obnoxious Fans

26 Exploring Books Dog Stories for the Soul

72 Southern Harmony Southern Halo

30 Into the Wild Old Mountain Adventures

76 In Good Spirits National Punch Day

34 Table Talk Binion’s Steakhouse, Tunica

78 Exploring Events

38 Exploring Destinations The Wynne House

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80 Reflections From One to Two. Again.

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editor’s note } september Fabulous Fall

Fall is my favorite time of year, and as I read this month’s stories I realized I’m not alone – almost everyone is anxious for cooler temps to arrive and for the fun to begin.

Football season in the South is more than just fun – it’s a culture that is unrivaled in most parts of the country.

Even non-football-watching fans seem to get caught up in team spirit.

I’m not sure my alma mater – the University of Southern Mississippi – has a contentious in-state game like the teams featured in Verna Gates’ story about football’s fiercest rivalries. That’s ok because I get a firsthand look at the intensity of fans when my Georgianative husband thinks his “Dawgs” are going to lose to Georgia Tech, one of the South’s oldest rivalries. Whether you are an Egg Bowl fan, an Iron Bowl devotee or a Tennessee-Vandy follower, you’ll find some interesting history about how these fierce battles began.

Writer Karen Ott Mayer gives a complete run-down of the South’s best fall festivals as well as some unusual celebrations. Keep the dates handy so you can enjoy the festivities near your hometown.

With all the hoopla surrounding football and festivals, you may want a way to unwind and have some quiet time. Andrea Brown Ross finds that a scenic drive through the South can take us back to simpler times when covered bridges and old-fashioned grist mills dotted the landscape.

SEPTEMBER 2018 • Vol. 15 No.9

PUBLISHER & CREATIVE DIRECTOR Adam Mitchell PUBLISHER & ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Paula Mitchell EDITOR-AT-LARGE Mary Ann DeSantis

School has been in session for a few weeks now, so it’s perfect timing to read about DeSoto County School Superintendent Cory Uselton. He shares his philosophy for keeping his district among the top with writer Robin Branch.

Back-to-school is not always easy for some students; in fact, it can be downright frightening and painful.

Karon Warren talked to two Georgia teens who developed a life-saving app to signal when things are notOK™.

We believe this issue has something of interest for everyone, and we hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed putting it together.

Happy reading,

Mary Ann

ASSISTANT EDITOR Andrea Brown Ross CONTRIBUTORS Robin Gallaher Branch Mary Ann DeSantis Jason Frye Verna Gates Jill Gleeson Karen Ott Mayer Charlene Oldham Andrea Brown Ross Heather Tate Karon Warren Kevin Wierzbicki PUBLISHED BY DeSoto Media 2375 Memphis St. Ste 205 Hernando, MS 38632 662.429.4617 ADVERTISING INFO: Paula Mitchell 901-262-9887 Paula@DeSotoMag.com DeSotoMagazine.com Get social with us!

on the cover This 1887 covered bridge is approximately 76 feet long and is one of four remaining in Missouri. Its red barnlike appearance provides an attractive setting for photographers and artists.

©2018 DeSoto Media Co. DeSoto Magazine must give permission for any material contained herein t o b e re p ro d u c e d i n a n y m a n n e r.

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 interested in advertising should email paula@desotomag.com or call 901-262-9887. Visit us online at desotomagazine.com.

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living well } notOK™ app

Hannah and Charlie Lucas

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Making it OK to be notOK™

By Karon Warren Photography courtesy of Hannah and Charlie Lucas and by Vania Stoyanova

Brotherly love guided a young man to develop an app to help his troubled sister. Now it’s available for anyone who needs help.

When Hannah Lucas, 16, of Atlanta was a freshman in high school, she was diagnosed with POTS, or postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, which caused her to frequently faint. As a result, she missed as much as 70 percent of the school year due to fainting.

When she was in school, Hannah was the target of bullying. In fact, a fellow student threatened to harm her the next time she passed out in school.

“Because of the combination of stress, I became extremely anxious and depressed,” Hannah says. “I selfharmed, developed eating disorders and eventually attempted suicide.”

Thankfully, she survived. But, more than that, she decided to thrive. She and her brother, Charlie, 13, searched

for apps that helped teens in their time of distress but came up empty. Therefore, the pair decided to create their own.

“I had been feeling way too helpless with [Hannah’s] whole POTS thing, so I figured this was one area I could actually help,” Charlie says.

The basics of the app, called the notOK™ App, is simply this: Press the “not OK” button in the app, and it sends a text message to your preselected contacts (up to five) that states, “Hey, I’m not OK. Call, text or come to my location.”

The message includes the user’s current GPS location.

Trusted contacts do not need the notOK™ app to receive the message.

“The notOK™ app makes having those tough conversations easier,” Hannah says. “When a trusted contact is DeSoto 17

added, they are notified, which gives the user an opportunity to talk about what’s going on with them.”

Initially, Charlie wrote the coding so they would have a working prototype to show what they wanted. However, Charlie’s skills were not quite as professional as they needed for a consumer app.

“Hannah and I then convinced our parents we were serious, and they gave us the green light to hire an actual developer,” Charlie says. “I worked alongside them to make sure the app was exactly what we wanted.”

All in all, the project took approximately nine months from idea to marketplace. Launched in January, the notOK™ App already has been downloaded nearly 30,000 times. It is open to anyone who wants an easy way to reach trusted family and friends for help.

“The notOK™ App can be used for anyone who is simply not OK, because, let’s face it, there are so many different ways to be not OK in today’s society,” Hannah says.

Charlie says that includes physical health issues as well.

“This app can be used for literally anything,” he adds.

“This app is not limited to just young people, because not only young people need help. Let’s face it: If a 10-year-old invented the cure for cancer, wouldn’t 30-year-olds use it, too?”

Hannah says she has received tremendous support from her friends in the app’s creation.

“My friends have really stuck by me with notOK™,” she says. “They think it’s a wonderful idea and help Charlie and me come up with potential updates.”

Those potential updates include an expansion into multiple countries and languages within the next few months.

Charlie also is expanding the app’s contacts reach.

“I’m currently working on a major update to tie into the Crisis Text Line if all five trusted contacts don’t respond within several minutes,” Charlie says.

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Getting the app to as many people as possible is key for Hannah and Charlie.

“The notOK™ is for anyone who is not OK,” Hannah says. “I want people to understand that no matter what you’re going through, you are not alone.”

While the app is free to download, it does require a subscription of $1.99 per month to cover the texting capabilities included within the app.

“Google and Apple require us to use a third-party text messaging system, which has costs associated with it,” Hannah says. “And we didn’t want it to be an app-to-app design because trusted contacts may not download the app. When people pay $1.99 a month, they are covering all the costs.”

In addition to the response they are receiving from users downloading the app, Hannah and Charlie also are receiving national attention for their effort to assist those suffering from mental health issues. In June, they received the mPower Award from Mental Health America for “creative efforts to speak up, educate peers and eliminate stigma about mental health issues.”

This year, the duo also received the Young Leader Award from the Georgia chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness for their dedication and service to the community.

And while those accolades are noteworthy, Hannah has a much more personal reward from their work on the app.

“The [app] has given me hope for the future that despite whatever I feel, my life does matter and has an impact on the world,” Hannah says.

Karon Warren is a freelance writer based in Ellijay, Georgia. A graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi, Karon also writes for USA Today and her blog, ThisGirlTravels.com

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notables } cory uselton

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Leading DeSoto County schools

By Robin Gallaher Branch | Photography courtesy of DeSoto County Schools

Superintendent Cory Uselton has an eye to the future for keeping DeSoto County Schools at the forefront.

Cory Uselton, superintendent of DeSoto County Schools, leads the school district in a way that is drawing notice nationally and forging pride among parents, teachers, and students.

For example, DeSoto is the only school district in Mississippi to be named to the AP District Honor Roll.

Advanced Placement offers high school students college-level curricula and examinations.

“That’s a national award and this is our second year in a row on it,” Uselton says proudly. Explaining the prestigious accomplishment, Uselton says it recognizes “an increase in enrollment of the AP classes and an improved performance on AP tests on a national level.”

Characteristically, Uselton quickly commends the district’s teachers, students, and staff for their all-around hard work that contributed toward this recognition. With 34,000 students, DeSoto is the largest district in Mississippi.

Uselton, a man with a ready grin and an athletic build, grew up in Humboldt, Tennessee, a small town about an hour northeast of Memphis. Many happy memories surround his grandmother’s general store.

“A lot of teachers and coaches came to her store,” he recalls. “By the time I was in middle school and high school, I already had connections with them.”

These teachers influenced his life. Young Cory excelled in soccer, basketball, and baseball. In college he was a student manager of the University of Memphis’ basketball team. Uselton received a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Memphis in 1992 and a Specialist in Education degree in K-12 educational leadership from the University of Mississippi in 2003.

When asked about pursuing a Ph.D., he replies with a sigh, laugh, and shrug, “Not with this job. It’s 24/7.”

Others agree that he seems to work 24/7. One of them is Nick Fussell, a FedEx employee with two children in the county schools. The families were neighbors for 10 years.

Fussell recalls that he and Uselton would get home about the same time. They’d sit on the porch and talk as their children played outside.

Fussell describes Uselton as both passionate and uncompromising. He says Uselton’s “life is the school. He eats, sleeps, breathes it. He has no time off but doesn’t complain. You have to be passionate in order to be that dedicated.”

Fussell also commends his friend’s integrity. “Cory will do the right thing even if it’s not the easy thing. He’s uncompromising in terms of values.”

Amy Benson teaches AP literature and senior English at DeSoto Central High School where Uselton served as principal before being elected superintendent in 2015.

“He leads by example,” Benson says. “He’s a wonderful motivator and very dedicated to the job. He encourages you to do your best. He sees all the kids as his kids.”

Uselton points with pride to other district accomplishments like the five students who scored 36 on the difficult and all important ACT test. “That’s a perfect score,” he adds.

While a part of his job is praising current, outstanding work like this, another part is looking toward the future. Based on the data crossing his desk, Uselton sees a teacher shortage as an upcoming possibility, because college students are not enrolling in classes that prepare them to be teachers.

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difficult to attract students to become teachers,” he predicts.

Consequently, with that eye to the future, he took a pro-active approach by organizing a job fair. “It brought 250 applicants to the system,” he says.

The district has eight high schools, eight middle schools, and 22 elementary schools; it employs 4,000 people.

As part of his philosophy, Uselton favors a team approach. Each school employee is important – starting with the bus driver who is the first person a child meets in the morning and the last one who says, “See you tomorrow!” when the day is over.

Uselton notes learning models have changed – and keep on changing rapidly – because of social media.

“The students grow up with electronics in their hands. They’re used to instant access to information,” he says. “The teachers have adjusted.”

When asked for tips other parents might use, he shares what works for him. First, he listens. He wants to hear the views of his sons, Will and Jackson, as they talk about the day’s doings. Uselton encourages parents to be involved in school activities by attending sports events, music concerts, theatre performances, debate contests.

Sign up for all the communication a school offers.

Niki Flanagan, an involved parent, commends Uselton for doing “a really good job of keeping people on the same page.” She describes him as one “who cares deeply about people. He establishes relationships and keeps them going.”

She praises his ability “to create community.” Elaborating, she notes that “he makes a big deal about small things, and small things add up to making our county the best.”

That, she believes, translates into what all parents want: a safe, wonderful place to raise a family. “We’re all trying to connect what we’re doing so that it can pay off for the kids,” Flanagan says.

Memphis writer Robin Gallaher Branch freelances for many magazines. A Fulbright scholar, she serves as an adjunct professor in the Department of Religion and Philosophy at Christian Brothers University.

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exploring art } rory doyle

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Rory Doyle

The Cowboy Way

By Jill Gleeson | Photography Credits: Rory Doyle; photo of Rory Doyle by Marisol Doyle

Rory Doyle’s photographic images of African-American Delta horse riders are taking him places.

There is something about a Rory Doyle image.

You don’t have to be schooled in the finer points of the photographic arts to see it. His landscapes – be they the rich, rambling Mississippi flatlands, the idyllic white sands of Caribbean paradise Petit St. Vincent, or anything in between – are transportive in their beauty. Looking at them, you can almost smell the loamy soil, hear the sea kiss the shore. But it’s Doyle’s portraits, specifically his shots of the African-American cowboys of the Delta, that are winning New York gallery shows and big-deal state grants for him.

Though the low-key Cleveland, Mississippi, resident would surely blush at the notion, it’s not outside the realm of possibility that Doyle is on his way to becoming the next

great American photojournalist. In July, the Mississippi Arts Commission awarded him $5,000 through their 2018 Visual Artist Fellowship. Notes Malcolm White, the organization’s executive director, “Rory is a remarkable artist with a keen eye and a genuine sense of place. He has a unique ability to tell powerful stories with elegant compositions. His horizons are not limited by being a Mississippian, but rather that fact gives him a real ability to be boundless.”

Certainly Doyle, who also works for Delta State University as a news writer and photographer, has been finding success outside of the project for which he’s already best known.

He has shot for a dizzying number of esteemed media brands, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The DeSoto 25

Washington Post, The Atlantic, Getty Images, USA Today, Men’s Journal and Oxford American. During his tenure at the Bolivar Commercial, which began after Doyle wrapped up graduate school at Delta State University in 2011, he netted four awards from the Mississippi Press Association, including first place, breaking news photo.

But it’s capturing images of black cowboys and cowgirls in Mississippi that Doyle says he’s most passionate about, adding, “This is a lifetime project for me. I’ve already made connections through this work that I never could have imagined. The fact that I’ve been welcomed and even treated like family...I don’t think this is something I’ll ever stop doing.

I’d love to see what happens to the younger generation that’s riding now, and how they pass it down to those who come after them.”

The inspiration to photograph this little-known cultural group hit Doyle in late 2016, when he saw a small band of black cowboys riding in Cleveland’s Christmas parade. He introduced himself, soon securing an invite to shoot them at a rodeo the following month.

“It clicked right away as a potential project because we don’t think of cowboys as black in America,” Doyle explains.

“And it was something different. You see a lot of photography that features the farmland here in Mississippi, blues musicians or the river. I wanted to find a topic that wasn’t repetitive.”

Doyle, who says his goal as a photographer is to tell stories – ideally about “subjects who are often overlooked” –

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has had almost no formal training. He filmed all the family videos growing up in rural Maine, but for a long time it seemed his interest in celluloid would end there.

It wasn’t until Doyle took an introductor y photojournalism course his last semester at Vermont’s Saint Michael’s College that he discovered his calling. While his classmates were taking uninspired pictures of extracurricular activities like cheerleading, Doyle was photographing Latino immigrants working on dairy farms. He was already hooked, although he would complete his master’s degree at DSU in health, physical education and recreation.

Flash forward a decade and this kind, unassuming man is opening an exhibit of his black cowboy images at New York City’s The Half King, co-owned by journalist bigwig Sebastian Junger, author of the blockbuster book, “The Perfect Storm.”

The show, which ended last month, ran concurrently with an exposition of Doyle’s work at Harlem gallery Tikhonova Wintner. To add to the dizzying successes of the summer, Doyle traveled in July to Georgia as a recipient of the SlowExposures Artist in Residence program.

Doyle was selected by the organization, which celebrates photography of the rural South, thanks to the cowboy project.

“During his week in Pike County, Rory jumped right in with genuine curiosity and disarming social grace and engaged many black residents from all walks of life,” says Christine Curry, SlowExposures director and founder. “This

resulted in several serendipitous connections (one early morning conversation with our local deli operator led him to a thriving community of black cowboys in our region).

We can’t wait to see the images – and remain grateful to Rory for helping us ‘see’ more of Pike County.

As Doyle continues to photograph the black cowboys and cowgirls who have so captured his imagination, he envisions a traveling exhibit of the work, as well as a book project. But in the meantime, for MidSouth residents who would like to catch this artist on the rise, Doyle will be part of this month’s SlowExposures group show and he’ll have an exhibit next February at the Delta Arts Alliance in Cleveland. rorydoylephoto.com

Jill Gleeson is a travel writer and memoirist who has written for Woman’s Day, Country Living, Washingtonian, Gothamist and more. Find her at www. gleesonreboots.com.

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exploring books} dog stories for the soul

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Mardi with Allie at the park

Paws Touching the Heart

By Mary Ann DeSantis | Photography courtesy of the Sartoris Literary Group

This book of short stories about dogs will put a smile on the faces of canine owners and some confirmed cat lovers. Be forewarned, though, you might also shed a tear while reading.

Any anthology that includes tales by John Steinbeck, Mark Twain, and Mississippian Willie Morris is already special, but add in stories by modern-day writers like Jackson editorial cartoonist Marshall Ramsey and Memphis bookstore owner Corey Mesler, and it’s even harder to put the book down.

“Dog Stories for the Soul,” published by the Jacksonbased Sartoris Literary Group, contains 19 short stories about man’s – and, in many of the entries, woman’s -- best friend.

Some are true, while others are fiction. Some are funny, while others are tear-jerkers, but they all illustrate how the bonds between humans and their dogs last a lifetime. Many

of the writers reminisce about dogs from their childhood with memories so vivid that readers can envision their own pets in similar situations.

Edited by Mardi Allen, a nationally known psychologist and the acquiring editor for Sartoris, the book captures the special relationships that people develop with their pets. Allen skillfully selected stories that are perfect examples of the mutual love and devotion between owners and their dogs… and in a couple of instances, cats. Just as no two dogs are alike, neither are these stories but the book flows seamlessly from one exceptional story into the next.

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After having several conversations about anthologies with the Sartoris publisher, Allen knew a collection of dog stories would be at the top of her list. After all, she was a dog lover herself and had two cocker spaniels.

“This project allowed me to share some of my favorite older stories integrated with more recent dog stories,” she said.

One of those favorite older stories is “Charley and Me,” excerpted from the classic John Steinbeck book, “Travels with Charley.” Allen’s book opens with this story, which shows just how far an owner will go to help his beloved pet when it gets sick.

Some of the stories are written from the animal’s perspective, including Allen’s own contribution to the anthology.

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“I was privileged to be the guardian of two precious cocker spaniels, Mattie and Allie, for many years. I’ve always known I wanted to share some of our many adventures in a book,” says Allen. “After Mattie passed away in early 2016 at age 14, I began imagining what Allie may be feeling without Mattie. I enjoyed helping Allie write her story in first person.”

The story, “My Life as I See It,” is even more poignant now because sweet Allie passed away last April at age 16.

Another dog’s point-of-view story comes from Mark Twain’s classic, “A Dog’s Tale,” a short story that first appeared in 1903 in Harper’s magazine. The first sentence, “My father was a St. Bernard, my mother was a collie, but I am a Presbyterian,” grabs readers from the start and proves Twain’s

talents as one of America’s best writers and humorists.

Cat lovers will be touched by the stories that show how strong the bonds between felines and canines can become.

In “Brothers from Different Mothers,” Annie Oeth shares a humorous tale about her Jack Russell terrier, Max, and her cat, Ted Nugent. Yes, the cat was named Ted when she told her son she was worried about getting cat scratch fever. The story, however, has a happy ending despite Ted needing some Xanax when he was separated from his best friend, the canine Max.

Some stories are darker, like “She Loved That Dog,” by Corey Mesler, who owns the 143-year-old Burke’s Book Store in Memphis. Mesler’s masterful fiction portrays a little girl’s love for her dog and how it lasts for eternity.

The last story comes from one of Willie Morris’ most beloved books, “My Dog Skip,” which was a major motion picture in 2000. “Chinaberry Fights, A Girl, and a Little Kitten” will inspire readers to find copies of this classic book and renew their love for Morris’ humor, poignancy, and gentle wisdom about life – especially about life with a dog.

“As a vet who has a dog in my family, this book stirred every emotion in me,” David May, DVM, at Animal Medical Hospital in Brandon wrote for the cover.

“Dogs can bring us so much joy and this book captures the special relationship we have with them.”

“Dog Stories for the Soul” is available at most bookstores and retails for $19.95 (paperback) and $9.95 for various eBook editions.

A native of Laurel, Mississippi, Mary Ann DeSantis is the editor-at-large for DeSoto Magazine.

Although she owns two cats, she thoroughly enjoyed reading about dogs.

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into the wild } old mountain outdoor adventures

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Playing in the Treetops

By Andrea Brown Ross | Photography courtesy of Old Mountain Outdoor Adventures

Since its opening in July 2017, visitors at The Old Mountain Outdoor Adventures in Winona have been zipping through the treetops of central Mississippi.

Owners Russell and Candace Durham are excited to see how receptive the public has been to their unique endeavor.

“We love Mississippi, the outdoors, and family,” shares Candace. With that in mind, the Durhams created their outdoor adventure park based on the European model of treetop play.

Russell explains,” We’re not just zip lining. Our course has elements and challenges, such as a rope bridge along with the zip lines.”

Old Mountain Outdoor Adventures has a variety of activities or adventures for visitors, based on their ages and experience. Thus far, the oldest adventurer has been 84 years old, but the park also can accommodate visitors as young as two years old.

A few of the adventures that await guests include the following: Treetop Quest

Challenge yourself on this self-guided aerial obstacle and zip line course, which features 24 tree-to-tree obstacles with varying heights and challenges.

Spider Quest

Traverse through 15 tree-to-tree obstacles in this selfguided, harness-free course over a 9,000 square foot safety net.

It’s ideal for beginners. And, there’s only one other treetop aerial net obstacle course like it in the U.S. DeSoto 33

Treetop Adventure Package

Enjoy three hours of 39 treetop obstacles from Treetop Quest and Spider Quest. This adventure offers visitors an opportunity to conquer all of the obstacles.

Treasure Quest

Search for treasure in this customizable activity that includes maps and integrated quizzes throughout the park. All ages will enjoy finding the treasure at the end of this adventure.

Kids Quest With two pole obstacle courses and a 1500-square-foot treetop net trampoline great for dodge ball fun, this adventure is tailored to 4-to-6-year olds.

Kiddie Quest

The youngest of visitors (ages 2-3) will enjoy playing on a low near-ground obstacle course and recreational equipment.

There are also adventure games and activities designed for them.

For children participating in the Kids Quest activities, a safety helmet is required during participation. As parents of three children, the Durhams understand the importance of safety.

“Our zip lines are meant to give our visitors a thrill and a fun experience, but they are designed to slow down at the platform,” explains Russell. “We also use a continuous delay system in which the cable cannot come off until their feet touch the ground.”

Per the industry standard, the weight limit on the adventure courses is 250 pounds. Subject to random inspections

by American Challenge Course Technology (ACCT) – the industry’s regulatory board – the Durhams adhere to the rigorous guidelines. Annual, monthly, and even daily inspections are conducted by the ACCT and staff.

“We inspect our courses morning and evening. We provide regular training to our staff and we are required to recertify with the ACCT if we make any additions or alterations to the course,” he says.

Lynn Savage of Senatobia, Mississippi, shares her experience of taking her boys to the park with another family.

“I have two very adventurous boys that love a good challenge! I was able to let my second grader go with his friend to the regular zip lining course, and my youngest son did the smaller version and loved it. The employees were helpful and nice,” Savage shares.

School field trips have been very popular at Old Mountain Outdoor Adventures. Often, children attend with their school, and then return on the weekend with their family.

Willing to work with school administrators and educators in meeting the demands of curriculum guidelines and detailed explanations of obstacle safeguards, the Durhams offer discounts to school groups.

“We’ve already had some back-to-school parties and sororities adventure with us,” says Candace. Currently, private bookings of up to 100 adventurers can be accommodated.

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park has also become popular with church groups that reserve private events. After groups participate in the adventures, they gather at the overlook area for a campfire with hotdogs, chips, drinks, and s’mores. To make reservations for a private party or event, please call the park at (662) 516-9722.

During the fall, the Durhams host school groups and private bookings during the week. On the weekends, the park is open to the public from10 a.m. until dark on Saturdays and from 2-5 p.m. on Sundays. Advance tickets purchased online can save visitors $2 per ticket. Walk-ins are welcome, but please note that a particular adventure may be filled. Visitors may occupy themselves with other activities until the next available time slot opens, which is typically under an hour, according to Candace.

The park’s popularity has the Durhams considering an expansion to include a True-Blue course, which would offer at least five zip lines and an optional freefall at the end.

Until then, there’s plenty of fun for visitors who want to play in the treetops! omoams.com

Andrea Brown Ross is based in Como, Mississippi. She is the Assistant Editor at DeSoto Magazine.

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table talk } jack binion’s steakhouse

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Chef Brian Thurmond

Wine down at Binion’s

By Karen Ott Mayer | Photography courtesy of Karen Ott Mayer and Jack Binion’s Steakhouse

A well-known Memphis chef, renovated dining room, and wine cellar make for winning combination.

Walking down a flight of metal stairs at Jack Binion’s Steakhouse increased my curiosity about our intended destination.

“We’re actually on the bottom floor of the barge,” says Tammy Williams Hansen, executive chef of food and beverage at Horseshoe Casino, a property of Caesars Entertainment.

Everyone knows the casinos in Tunica, Miss. are built on floating barges, but it’s not often the sound of hollow steel echoes underfoot while in a casino. Today, however, I’m following a small group to the wine cellar, located under the restaurant and where two rooms seat private parties up to 12 guests. A large table anchors the cozy room lined with shelves of wine bottles. Originally a bastion for high rollers, today the wine cellar welcomes anyone interested in a tailored, private experience including a seven-course meal. Occasionally, Mother

Nature even sits down like during the 2011 Mississippi River flood.

“Half of this space was filled with water. Imagine moving all of this wine!” Hansen says with a laugh. River or not, guests now enjoy the upscale wine cellar for all its originality and seclusion.

Recently arrived Wine Manager Mark Magruder comes to Tunica from Las Vegas and Hawaii. While Binion’s serves up the best and most expensive wines like Caymus, Opus One, Dom Pérignon, and Cristol, Magruder has an additional goal in mind.

“We want our wine list to be highly accessible to every table here. While you can order an expensive bottle of wine, we also want to offer affordable labels that everyday visitors and guests can enjoy.”

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Upstairs again, we find the fully renovated Jack Binion’s Steakhouse, which makes no apologies for being rather masculine in style, either for the design or the cuisine.

“We are a traditional steakhouse,” says Hansen.

The dark woods, leather booths and overall feel reminds of a dusky, rich vintage setting where the aromas of meat mix with cigars and music. The size is deceptive. The restaurant can seat up to 220 guests, but the space feels more intimate. It’s the place to wind down after a chaotic week or hole up on a cold winter afternoon after watching a show.

The new Chef de Cuisine, Brian Thurmond comes out of Memphis with a strong reputation, having worked up through the ranks at Kelly English’s award-winning Restaurant Iris and after recently closing his own restaurant, 148 North in Collierville, Tennessee. Known for his Southern cuisine with a culinary French twist, Thurmond’s new menu introduces a few key dishes that reflect his style, yet honor Binion’s meat and potatoes soul. Even though the menu changes twice annually, Thurmond says he can incorporate new dishes as he pleases and may even cater to a guest’s particular request.

As I scan the menu, Thurmond explains that anyone can enjoy a dinner at Binion’s.

“If anyone thinks we’re out of reach or really expensive because we are a steakhouse, that’s not true,” he says.

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In addition to a la carte items, Binion’s offers a reasonable all-inclusive pre-fix menu that runs from $49.99 to $75.00, including choice of dessert. The full menu consists of every expected cut of steak from a filet to ribeye. Less than carnivorous guests will find pork, seafood and plenty of sides and salads.

Only 30 miles from Memphis – and soon north Mississippi with the completion of I 69 this year – Binion’s makes an ideal destination restaurant. A commuter himself from Collierville, Thurmond believes Binion’s meets Memphians’ taste buds. In fact, the restaurant enjoys a mix of travelers and locals from Memphis, hoping for a quick getaway.

The new menu released in August highlights Thurmond’s signature style, specifically with the added seafood dishes.

“The ultimate goal is to bring more refined French style cuisine that’s still approachable,” he explains.

Regular guests will find the new Snapper Pontchartrain, a classic seafood creole dish with a beurre blanc sauce. If that doesn’t sound appealing enough, his Scallops Picante will awaken any bored taste buds.

On the other end of the spectrum, Thurmond’s dishes respect his own Mississippi roots that originate from cooking with his mother and grandmother. “I make collard greens that

will beat out anyone,” he says with a laugh and a challenge.

In the end, Thurmond wants one thing: “We just want to serve quality food, done really well.”

“Cigar, anyone?”

After dinner, choose a cigar, from a reasonable $12.50 Nicaraguan La Vieja Habana Robusto to the $96 Arturo Fuente Opus X, deemed “The rarest cigar on the planet.” Cigars range from mild to full and even include flavored cigars like the Dominican CAO Bourbon Vanilla Tube Petite Corona, a menu favorite.

Karen Ott Mayer is a writer and editor based in Como, Mississippi.

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exploring destinations } wynne house, holly springs

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Turning Back Time

By Heather Gausline Tate | Photography courtesy of Stephen and Suzette Woodgate

Award-winning restoration respects home’s historical chapters while making it a luxurious respite for modern-day travelers.

The recently restored Wynne House Inn bookmarks another historical chapter for the home and the town of Holly Springs. Nearly 150 years has passed since the German architect Gustavius Adolphus Palm finished the north Mississippi home in 1872. Boasting a new look and new name, the Wynne House Inn now welcomes travelers to the bed and breakfast which was awarded the 2018 Mississippi Heritage Trust in June along with 43 other recipients.

The new owners, Stephen and Suzette Woodgate, approached the restoration with detailed care, taking nearly a decade to finish the property that is located on the National Register of Historic Places, which has three different residential designations within the town of Holly Springs. While Stephen originally hailed from Rochester, New York, Suzette’s home was just down the road in Oxford.

Purchasing the foreclosed property in February 2007, the Woodgates spent the next six years restoring the main house and another three years renovating The Hummingbird Cottage, a smaller home located on the grounds. While restoring the houses that had deteriorated over time, they learned the history of the buildings from the locals who generously shared their stories.

The Woodgates soon realized they were not just preserving the buildings themselves, but a part of their city’s rich history. To the community’s delight, the couple named the home after Dr. Carey Wynne, a local dentist who had lived in the house with his family. After extensive renovations that included new wiring, plumbing and the addition of more rooms and bathrooms, The Wynne House opened in 2016 just in time for the Christmas in Holly Springs Home Tour.

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When asked why the Wynne House Inn earned a Mississippi Heritage Award this year, Stephen Woodgate shared his insights. “The completeness of the renovations was the part that stood out. The house had fallen into such disrepair that it was a huge undertaking to renovate it. Also, just the finished outcome and restoring the original beauty was noteworthy. We literally took the house down to the studs and rebuilt it to equal, or even exceeded, its original grandeur.”

He explained the first project involved removing the aluminum siding from the house to comply with the historical standards. Because of the home’s location within a historic district, returning the exterior of the house to its original appearance by using the period-appropriate materials was a necessity. On the inside, most of the moldings and flooring is original; however, a Memphis mill house replicated cutter heads to match measurements of the 1800’s moldings.

Since opening the house, the couple has offered themed dinners to highlight history and local culinary talents like those of Tyler Clancy of Clancy’s cafe in Red Banks, Mississippi.

“We host several themed dinners throughout the year that provide a fine dining experience for locals and people from the surrounding areas. The dinners are elegant, five-toseven course meals made from locally-sourced ingredients,” Woodgate said.

The first themed dinner, “A Taste of the 1800s” was a seven-course meal that featured a menu from that time period and in honor of the Wynne House. In July, “A Summer Table” highlighted dishes such as grilled watermelon salad with crispy pork joule, muscadine and cucumber gazpacho, and blueberry 42 DeSoto

buttermilk chess pie with bourbon infused whipped topping.

In addition to the special dinners, the Wynne House Inn is frequently used for bridal parties hosting a weekend of activities, including the featured bridesmaid brunch. Off-site corporate teams rent the house for meetings or even client appreciation dinners.

Every week guests from all over the South, and even the world, make The Wynne House their home-away-from home. They have hosted guests as far away as Australia and recently accommodated a newlywed couple honeymooning from the Netherlands. The inn is open year-round and can accommodate up to 10 guests in the main house and five guests in the Hummingbird Cottage. Visitors wake up each morning to a home-cooked Southern breakfast by assistant innkeeper and cook Sandra Teigland.

The Woodgates appreciate the general appeal and architecture of the region. “Holly Springs is a town steeped in antebellum homes, Civil War history, and Blues music.,” they explain. Likewise, the region offers visitors diverse experiences from the annual home pilgrimages to music festivals, golf and quail hunting at nearby Fitch Farms.

Or, many may prefer to do what so many guests have done over the last 150 years – to simply relax on the porch or take a stroll around town. Today, a new park located across the street from the inn offers another option. Whatever the choice, it’s clear another chapter of history is unfolding for this cherished home and every newcomer to Holly Springs.

Protecting Mississippi’s Past

The Mississippi Heritage Trust has served as one of Mississippi’s biggest preservation advocates for the last 25 years. With a mission to raise awareness about endangered properties, save historic buildings and places, the trust partners with key organizations across the state to further its mission. Anyone interested in preservation can join to help support their efforts. For information, visit mississippiheritage.com.

Mississippi Heritage Trust for Restoration honorees for 2018 included the following: Columbus City Hall Clarksdale Fire Station Starkville Police Department Bolivar County Courthouse, Cleveland Madison County Courthouse, Canton Pike County Courthouse, Holmesville Hinds Community College, Administration Building, Raymond Mississippi State University YMCA, Starkville Millsaps Hotel Exterior Restoration, Hazlehurst Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle, Jackson Dr. Gilbert R. Mason, Sr. Medical Office, Biloxi Rich Grain Distilling Co., Canton Wier Boerner Allin Architecture, Jackson Crosby Building, Canton DANE Building, Canton Merrill-Beasley House, Jackson The Wierhouse, Brandon Molly’s Place, Grenada White Pillars, Biloxi Wynne House Inn, Holly Springs Fyke House, Jackson

In addition, Tupelo’s Mill Village Neighborhood Association received the Heritage Award for Excellence in Historic District Preservation.

Heather Gausline Tate is an avid traveler and freelance writer who lives in Guntown, Mississippi.

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, a s o o l a c s u T labama

on the road again } tuscaloosa, alabama

A

Rolling beyond Bryant-Denny Stadium

9:00 Breakfast at Holler & Dash Biscuit House. What to order? Biscuits, of course. Standard pairings include eggs with bacon or sausage, gravy and jam. You can go for something a little different with the Pork Rambler, a delicious biscuit with fried pork tenderloin, blackberry butter and fried onion straws. Open for breakfast and lunch.

10:00 After lunch enjoy a walk along the 4.5-mile Riverwalk. The paved trail for walking and biking runs along the banks of the Black Warrior River in downtown Tuscaloosa. Take in the beautiful scenery, parks, gazebos and playground with splash pad.

11:00 Meander through the downtown area shops up and down University Boulevard. Explore local boutiques, restaurants and attractions.

1:00 Lunch at The Avenue Pub for some mouthwatering pub grub. Menu favorites include nachos, fish and chips, corned beef sandwich and the bacon burger. Pair with a cold, local brew on tap. Open for dinner and Sunday brunch as well as a great happy hour from 3-6 p.m., Monday through Friday.

After lunch, explore one or more museums in the area: • Football fans will enjoy the collections and exhibits featuring items related to the University of Alabama’s history at Paul W. Bryant Museum. If you are an Alabama football fan, be sure to stop by Brant Denny Stadium. (bryantmuseum.com) • Art enthusiasts should plan to visit the Tuscaloosa Museum of Art, where more than 1,000 works of fine and decorative arts are displayed. The collection was amassed by Jack Warner and is considered one of the greatest private collections of American Art. (tuscaloosamoa.org) • History buffs will enjoy touring the Alabama Museum of Natural History. Explore the exhibits and specimen collections showcasing Alabama’s natural history and ancient past. (almnh.ua.edu) • Tour the Gorgas House. Built in 1829, the home is the oldest structure on the University of Alabama campus. The museum houses original furnishings, memorabilia and 19th century artifacts. (gorgashouse.ua.edu) • The Mercedes-Benz U.S. International Visitors Center & Museum is the only of its kind outside of Germany. Exhibits trace the history of the Mercedes-Benz. Admission is free from 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. on weekdays. (mbusi.com/visitorcenter) 5:00 Enjoy a relaxing dinner at Five Bar in Downtown. Start with the fried calamari or baked avocado followed with an entree. Favorites include the jalapeño shrimp, ribeye or bone-in pork chop. They also have nightly features. The fish comes directly from Harbor Docks in Destin, Florida.

After dark, enjoy Tuscaloosa’s great night life. Ask locals for their favorite spots or hit Egan’s Bar or Rhythm and Brews for original music or Black Warrior Brewing for local brews. If you prefer to watch sports, head to The Houndstooth. Gallettes is the place to be on gameday.

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To plan your visit:

visittuscaloosa.com holleranddash.com avepub.com five-bar.com

Plan Ahead:

If you are able to visit Tuscaloosa when The University of Alabama has a game, you should plan ahead before traveling. With one of the nation’s top football teams, the city draws thousands of fans for weekend revelry. Visit uagameday.com for tickets, tailgating information, schedules and more.

2018 University of Alabama Football Schedule September 1 – Away Louisville (Orlando, FL) September 8 – At home, Arkansas State September 15 – Away at Ole Miss September 22 – At home, Texas A&M September 29 – At home, UL-Lafayette October 6 – Away at Arkansas October 13 – At home, Missouri (Homecoming) October 20 – Away at Tennessee October 27 OFF November 3 – Away at LSU November 10 – At home, Mississippi State November 17 – At home, The Citadel November 24 – At home, Auburn (Iron Bowl)

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greater goods } football frenzy

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1. Cowbells, Bon Von, 214 W Center Street, Hernando, MS 2. Corkcicle coozies and coolers, The Pink Zinnia, 134 West Commerce Street, Hernando, MS 3. Styrofoam cups and napkins for tailgating, Cynthia’s Boutique, 2529 Caffey Street, Hernando, MS 4. Dip bowls, Bon Von, 214 W Center Street, Hernando, MS 5. Door hangers, Commerce Street Market, 74 W Commerce Street, Hernando, MS 6. Platters, Commerce Street Market, 74 W Commerce Street, Hernando, MS 7. Kelly Wynn tranparent purses, The Pink Zinnia, 134 West Commerce Street, Hernando, MS 8. Cowbells, Commerce Street Market, 74 W Commerce Street, Hernando, MS 9. Etta B pottery, Paisley Pineapple, 6542 Goodman Road, Olive Branch, MS

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greater goods } football frenzy

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10. T-shirts, The Bunker, 2631 McIngvale Road #106, Hernando, MS 11. Razorback platter, Merry Magnolia, 194 E Military Road, Marion, AR 12. Tote, The Speckled Egg, 5100 Interstate 55, Marion, Arkansas 13 Tervis cups, Mimi’s on Main, 432 Main Street, Senatobia, MS 14. Picture frames, Mimi’s on Main, 432 Main Street, Senatobia, MS 15. Delta State hand towel and baseball cap, Ultimate Gifts, 3075 Goodman Road E, Southaven, MS 16. Happy Everything wine chiller with football attachment, Ultimate Gifts, 3075 Goodman Road E, Southaven, MS 17. Tuscaloosa pillow, The Wooden Door, 6542 Goodman Road, Olive Branch, MS 18. Styrofoam drink cups for tailgating, The Wooden Door, 6542 Goodman Road, Olive Branch, MS 19. Nora Fleming dish with football attachment, Paisley Pineapple, 6542 Goodman Road, Olive Branch, MS DeSoto 47

If you’re looking for a way to escape the noisy football and festival crowds, a drive along picturesque backroads may be just the ticket, especially when you stop at historic bridges and grist mills of days gone by.

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Driving to Days Gone By Grist Mills & Covered Bridges

By Andrea Brown Ross Photography courtesy of Tishomingo County Tourism, and onlyinyourstate.com.

Old Mill photography by Dave Buckheister, unclebucksphoto.com

Burns Park - North Little Rock, Arkansas

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Falls Mill - Belvidere, Tennessee

The Old Mill - North Little Rock, Arkansas

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Once functional and necessary, grist mills and covered bridges have almost gone the way of the dinosaur. However, some of these emblems of yesteryear are still around. Today, they are in varying degrees of functionality, from being simply a photo opportunity to a museum. Here are a few favorites all within a day’s drive of the Mid-South area.

Falls Mill (Belvidere, Tennessee)

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this mill now houses the Museum of Power and Industry, Inc. With its picturesque beauty and historical aspect, it’s difficult for Carey Hathaway, of Senatobia, Mississippi, to choose just one favorite aspect.

“I loved the waterfall on the creek.

There was an area with a table where you could sit and enjoy a picnic lunch while listening to the water,” says Hathaway.

“My other favorite part was the mill itself. It was very interesting to learn about the way water was used to power the mill.”

Tours of the mill and museum are available daily with the exception of Wednesdays and Sundays. An 1895 log cabin serves as bed-and-breakfast accommodations.

Demonstrations in blacksmithing, spinning, and weaving are also available during specific times of the month.

As Hathaway describes her experience, she explains it felt like it was out in the middle of nowhere, but that is part of the allure, a hidden gem out in the country.

“My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed it! It was worth the trip, and I will definitely go again,” she shares. fallsmill.com Great Smoky Mountains (Tennessee)

If you are headed to the Great Smoky Mountains this fall, covered bridges dot the area, but two of the most picturesque are the following:

The Harrisburg Covered Bridge (Sevierville, Tennessee) – Located east of Sevierville off Highway 441, this bridge was constructed in 1875. The Little Pigeon River runs underneath it.

Emert’s Cove Covered Bridge DeSoto 51

Sandy Creek Covered Bridge - Hillsboro, Missouri

Sandy Creek Covered Bridge - Hillsboro, Missouri

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(Sevierville, TN) – Constructed in the late 1990s in honor of the area’s first settler, Frederick Emert, the bridge is located off Pittman Center Road. The bridge overlooks the middle prong of the Little Pigeon River.

Dawt Mill (Tecumseh, Missouri)

Located off Hwy 160 at the North Fork of the White River, Dawt Mill offers an array of activities in southern Missouri.

Seasonal fly fishing, floating, camping, casual and fine dining, canoeing, and kayaking are among potential activities.

Since the spring flooding in 2017, the mill has undergone a remodel and renovation while the rest of the locale has been operational. At the final stages of the process, Dallas Getson, who coordinates special events for the mill, explains what guests may expect with its reopening. The mill will have three components: a private bridal suite, an event center, and historical section open to the public.

“While guests may read about our history on our website, the owner’s wife is perusing over the available historical documents. I think guests will enjoy learning more about the history behind the mill in person and also how a mill was operated,” says Getson.

“Our Beach Bar with live concerts closed Labor Day weekend, but guests may still enjoy our fine dining experience at The Chef ’s Table,” he explains.

Guests register for lodging at The General Store, which also carries snacks, beverages, and souvenirs. dawtmill.com Sandy Creek Covered Bridge (Hillsboro, Missouri)

Located approximately fours hours from Memphis, Tennessee, the Sandy Creek Covered Bridge Historic Site is a publicly owned property managed by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

Photographs of the bridge, which was constructed in 1872, are frequently seen in hotel rooms and other tourist venues throughout the state. Visit the historic site at 9001 Old Lemay Ferry Road, Hillsboro, Missouri. Contact number is 636-464-2976.

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Mineral Springs Park - Iuka, Mississippi

The Old Mill (North Little Rock, Arkansas)

T.R. Pugh Memorial Park, or the Old Mill as it is commonly referred to, is a re-creation of an 1880s water powered grist mill. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the mill may seem vaguely familiar. The Old Mill was filmed in the opening scenes of the classic 1939 movie, “Gone With the Wind, and served as the site of the unveiling of the “Gone With the Wind” commemorative stamp. Today, it serves as a backdrop for countless outdoor weddings and other photographs.

Inside the mill, relics from the 1800s derivative of that time and location are displayed. Private tours are available for groups of 10 or more with advance reservations. A volunteer organization, Friends of the Old Mill, Inc., conduct tours and help maintain the park. Admission is free and the park is open daily. friendsoftheoldmill.org

Burns Park (North Little Rock, Arkansas)

Burns Park combines history and today’s interests to make a destination all ages can enjoy. The park was used during World War I and World War II as a training camp for soldiers.

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William Burns, a local doctor, purchased several thousand acres where he helped build a lake, trails, and other outdoor interests.

In 1950, the park was named after him. Today, the 1,700 acre park boasts several family friendly activities including golf courses, a dog park, basketball and tennis courts, soccer fields, multipurpose trails, pre-Civil War log cabin, World War II tank, and the covered bridge. nlrpr.org/news/burns_park_map Mineral Springs Park (Iuka, Mississippi)

Historical Mineral Springs park located in Tishomingo County features one of Mississippi’s few covered bridges. The bridge is located within walking distance of the park, but is also open to vehicular traffic. The 6 springs located in the park have an interesting history themselves. According to legend, Indian Chief Iuka, who was extremely sick, drank from the waters and was healed. The town was named Iuka in his honor. The waters were even named “best water in the U.S.” at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis. The park hosts festivals and other special events throughout the year to enhance your visit. iukams.com

Mineral Springs Park - Iuka, Mississippi

IF YOU GO

As romantic as it may seem to drive to these locations with the changing colors of the leaves, planning ahead can make the difference between a wonderful memory and disappointment. Once located in areas of high traffic and well-traveled roads, many of these places are now off the beaten path with the introduction of interstate highways.

Make sure you are familiar with how to get to your destination, in the event cell phone service and GPS capabilities are limited. Also, do a little research ahead of time. Weather events, such as flooding, may prohibit access to some of these locations.

Additionally, some locations do not offer any facilities, such as restrooms. Take care to stay on public property.

Enjoy the drive!

Andrea Brown Ross is based in Como, Mississippi. She is the Assistant Editor at DeSoto Magazine.

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o o F e c r e i F

e i r l a v i R 54

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1967 Iron Bowl

otball

es

By Verna Gates saturdaydownsouth.com of Alabama, AL.com, Red Cup Rebellion, Photography courtesy of The University

Football is big in the South,

but nothing compares to the in-state rivalries that can make grown men cry.

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At the state auto tag station, there were three lines: Alabama, Auburn and Other. When I arrived at the window of “Other,” I inquired about the station names. The answer: “Well, we figured if you weren’t for Alabama or Auburn, you must be from out-of-state.” For the record, I say “Go Heels.” (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill – a basketball school.)

I should have entered the Alabama line, since I had a daddy who attempted to call in plays to Bear Bryant during bowl games and an ex-husband who cried when Alabama lost, fortunately, not a frequent occurrence. And, I have been known to, in airports where men were vehemently discussing college football, to interject, in passing, an “all I gotta say is Roll Tide.”

Full disclosure, I do live in Alabama. I generally shop during the Iron Bowl, a time when you can roll a bowling ball down the aisles between me and the soccer fans. A couple of years ago, I fell and broke my arm during the captivating game.

I could barely find an ambulance to pick me up, much less induce a friend to answer a phone call. I have been banned from a friend’s Alabama game day party because I mistook it as a social event rather than a gathering of Bama monks. Last year, I watched the Alabama/Auburn game with two War Eagles. When the Tide rolled to victory, Cindy Peavy, a Birmingham schoolteacher turned to me and said, “You have no idea how bad my day will be tomorrow.”

Auburn’s coach Gus Malzahn has earned the respect of sports writers as only one of three coaches in America to have beaten Nick Saban at Alabama. And he has prevailed twice.

THE IRON BOWL

The Iron Bowl name comes from the upstart post Civil War city, Birmingham, where Legion Field once hosted a 50/50 game – Auburn and Alabama. Many mourn the days when the opposing forces were equal, making for an exciting game in the city that teethed on steel. Alabama and Auburn have swapped national titles a couple of times and are ranked as the top rivalries in the nation. Nick Saban, with five national titles in hand, channels his inner Paul “Bear” Bryant to a new generation of football fans. At Christmas time, houses celebrate the two great religions – with a Santa, nativity scene and giant red “A.” DeSoto 59

The Crimson Tide moniker dates back to 1906 in a muddy challenge against Auburn, the favorite in the game.

What had been called a “thin red line” morphed into a Crimson Tide by a sports writer describing the unexpected win. The hate was so great, they would not play each other again until 1948 – and only on neutral ground – in Birmingham.

THE EGG BOWL

The SEC provides formidable competition in Mississippi. The Egg Bowl dates back to 1901, when Mississippi State (the Aggies back then) defeated the University of Mississippi, more commonly called Ole Miss in football families. The game was delayed by 40 minutes as officials resolved for whom Norvin E. (Billy) Green really played. He had flipped his allegiance from Ole Miss to Mississippi State.

The MSU Aggies dominated until 1926, when Ole Miss pulled out a victory and celebrated by attempting to destroy the Aggie goalposts. The Aggies defended their territory with cane chairs, sacrificing the seats. To avoid future discontent, the Golden Egg Trophy was created to define the victor. The early footballs were more ovoid in shape and resembled the eggs valued by the Aggies, and all breakfast fans. A sports writer in Jackson dubbed it the Egg Bowl, which has been dominated by Ole Miss since the coming of Johnny Vaught in 1947.

Mississippi State, now known as the Bulldogs, challenges Ole Miss and also the Crimson Tide in what is called the 90-mile drive. In 2007, they defeated the mighty Tide, but lost in a hair-raising finish in 2017.

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THE VOLUNTEER STATE RIVALRY

My brother deserted Alabama and UNC by attending Vanderbilt and has evaded donating to the college fund by saying he was waiting for a winning football team. The Commodores have saved him a lot of money. He did have to cough up during the Coach James Franklin days of 2012 and 2013 when bowl games were actually won.

“Go Vols. Poor Vanderbilt, bless their hearts. It’s a good thing they have great academics,” said Peggy Bonfield, a Tennessee fan.

It is the rest of the SEC’s pastime to detest the University of Tennessee ― Vandy’s rival. For one thing, orange does not look good on just anybody. But it was picked, quite literally, from the American Daisy that grew in abundance on The Hill in Knoxville.

The Volunteers have an annoying habit of winning, especially in their own stadium, sufficient to strike fear in the hearts of opponents. In a sea of orange, Neyland Stadium claims the highest win rate: 464 victories in the nation’s fifth largest football stadium. Tennessee claims six championships although only two are recognized by sports writer polls. Playing since 1891, they rank fourth in all-time bowl game wins behind Alabama, a California team, and Georgia. They used to battle with Kentucky over a Beer Bottle Trophy from 1925-1999, a rivalry many would consider worth renewing.

PEACH STATE RIVALRY

To t h e e a s t t h e r e ’s G e o r g i a Tech and the ACC – the Atlantic Coast Conference, which some consider inferior to the SEC. The University of Georgia (UGA) clings to the SEC and claims its rivalry with Auburn as the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry.

Georgia’s disdain for Tech is called “Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate,” an in-state rivalry dating back to 1893. Tech is 100 years younger than UGA, which was founded in 1785 and claims to be the oldest university in America.

“How ‘bout them Dawgs?” is a popular refrain at games and as well as the day after a big win. Georgia’s mascot is named Uga, which started when Savannah attorney and UGA alumnus Frank “Sonny” Seiler brought a white English bulldog to a game in 1956. A long line of Ugas have served, including one sub brought in for an away game after the mascot jumped off of a hotel bed, injuring himself. Uga’s statue has been stolen by Tech students, who have hoisted a variety of novelty items onto poles, such as an entire Volkswagon Beatle.

UGA coach Kirby Smart lost the national championship in 2017 to Alabama, but the Georgia Bulldogs have won 66-41 in games against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. In retort, Tech can claim four national championships over four decades.

Coach Paul Johnson leads in the ACC, which garners little regard.

“He plays a bunch of basketball schools,” sniffed Tom Moore, a Georgia fan. ***

In the South, beware when planning any competing event come fall, like a wedding. Grooms have been known to sneak away from their own wedding receptions to catch the scores. In Mobile, they say there are three seasons: Mardi Gras, hurricane and football. It’s our grand tradition to celebrate the sport with barbecues, tailgating, cheering, teasing and friends.

Verna Gates is a freelance writer from Birmingham, Alabama. She is the author of “100 Things to Do in Birmingham Before You Die,” and formerly worked for Reuters, TIME and CNN.

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Having Fun & Making a Difference

It’s F estival

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Time!

By Karen Ott Mayer Photography courtesy of Arkansas Cornbread Festival and Delta Hot Tamale Festival

Southern festivals are all about oddities, fun, and making a difference in their communities.

Almost another religion in the South, festivals play an important cultural role across the landscape – not to mention they’re just plain old fun. And there is truly a festival for just about anything and anyone. Are you in a jousting mood? Do you believe peanuts could be the center of the universe? Or cotton? Maybe climbing a large rock sounds like fun.

From gumbo to grapes, goats to cars, Southern festivals celebrate the mainstream and the quirky while raising money for a good cause.

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Arkansas Cornbread Festival

Delta Hot Tamale Festival

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Just south of Little Rock, Arkansas, in an area called Southside Main Street District (SoMa), “Cosmo” strolls the streets during the Arkansas Cornbread Festival.

Cosmo is a large skillet of cornbread and the mascot for the eight-year old festival. Every fall, brave cornbread aficionados throw their name and pan in the hat to possibly win $1,000 for the best cornbread. Sound corny? Not to any true-blue Southerner with some corn meal and a skillet.

“It’s all about cornbread,” laughs Lori Ducey, the 2018 cornbread chair. Like so many festivals, the Arkansas Cornbread Festival grew from a vision to help a struggling community. “Anita Davis, a local business woman, began renovating buildings years ago in this area of town. It sparked a sense of revitalization. This free festival was founded to help draw attention to the area and encourage development,” says Ducey.

Today, the close-knit historic community is home to a mix of small businesses, restaurants, artists, Loblolly creamery, and even a distillery with an award-winning bourbon. Did all of this come about because of cornbread? It’s quite possible.

Down in Louisiana, festival revelers can enjoy more than 400 festivals and events every year! Whether you live in a big city or a quiet small town, finding your festival simply begins with your interests. Most festivals have music, vendors, artisans and family-friendly fun but the theme sets each apart. To get you started, here are a few that peaked our interest.

Get your grape on Muscadine Jubilee 2018 September 8, 2018

If you dream about stomping grapes like Lucy and Ethel did in “I Love Lucy,” then head to Pelahatchie, Mississippi, where a similar pursuit takes place annually at the city’s premier festival. The thick humidity of Mississippi isn’t ideal for grapes; however, muscadines do grow quite well. To celebrate, the town has held the Muscadine Jubilee for more than 38 years. Enjoy wines, pies and jellies—and, yes, you can even stomp grapes, too. pelahatchie.org/events/muscadine-jubilee

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Who’s got your goat?

International Goat Days Family Festival September 8-9, 2018

These goats have made a name for themselves. Beginning on Friday night, visitors can enjoy the World’s Greatest Goat Parade. Got it? The World’s Greatest…

You’ve never lived until you’ve seen a baby goat frolic, and in Millington, Tennessee, goats are it during this festival. The free two-day event is packed with so many activities, the goats may have to take a backseat. A family favorite for enjoying farm and agriculture, visitors will see horses, tractors, fish...and of course goats. millingtontn.gov Working for gumbo 37th Annual Biloxi Seafood Festival September 8-9, 2018

Even though summer may be winding down, seafood season is in full swing on the Mississippi Gulf Coast with the Biloxi Seafood Festival. The Chamber of Commerce’s biggest fundraiser of the year, the festival highlights a wide variety of seafood dishes, including plenty of gumbo as part of the Sun Herald Gumbo Championship. mscoastchamber.com In honor of the tower Water Tower Festival September 21-22, 2018

Even a rusted water tower can inspire. In Hernando, Mississippi, the former town water tower sits atop a hill and has a fan base that led to its placement on the National Register of Historic Places. It also led to the Annual Water Tower Festival held on the historic square. This year marks the 16th year for the event which has a 5K race and another throw down: the annual barbecue competition. The two-day, much anticipated event begins with grilling, and it is serious business. hernandoms.org A month of festival fitness RiverRocks Festival October 5-21, 2018

For the endurance athlete or the amateur weekend fitness buffs, RiverRocks promises enough physical challenges to meet any goal. This festival celebrates the outdoors in and around the scenic, mountainous Chattanooga, Tennessee. Running, rock climbing, cycling, swimming, kayaking and more happen throughout the month. For those less interested in breaking a sweat, live music and food are always happening. riverrockschattanooga.com Jousting, anyone?

4th Annual Mid-South Renaissance Faire October 13-14 and 20-21, 2018

Knights in shining armor, Queen Elizabeth I and jousting. Walking around the Mid-South Renaissance Faire in Memphis, Tennessee, will make you smile. An old nag might follow you or a dashing knight might try to woo you. But in the end, it’s the live jousting on horseback that will make you hold your breath. midsouthrenfaire.com Time for tamales Delta Hot Tamale Festival October 18-20, 2018

If you’re hunting a tamale muse, chances are you’ll find it in Greenville, Mississippi, during the annual Delta Hot Tamale Festival. Just as revered as the Southern written word, tamales have inspired this popular three-day event that also 66 DeSoto

includes the popular Literary/Culinary Mash-Up where literature, chefs, and food mix at the historic Belmont Plantation.

Enjoy great music, a stellar lineup of authors, artists, and chefs, hors d’oeuvres, and cocktails all while immersed in the beauty of Belmont’s stunning parlors and porches. mainstreetgreenville.com/delta-hot-tamale-festival Art thou an artist?

RiverArts Fest, October 27-28, 2018

If you love art, make art or buy art, then the RiverArtsFest in Memphis, Tennessee is your festival. Originally founded as Arts in the Park in 1984 and located in Overton Park, the festival has grown to the downtown area where more than 180 artists display and sell their works.

This is touted as the largest outdoor juried artist market in the Mid-South. The kids will love all the interactive art activities as much as mom and dad will love adding to their collection. riverartsmemphis.org Nothing beats cornbread Arkansas Cornbread Festival October 27, 2018

This isn’t your Mama’s cornbread.

With 10 professional and 10 amateur entries, visitors have a chance to taste all kinds of cornbread near Little Rock, Arkansas. Last year’s professional winner?

A vegan cornbread. Remember what your Mama always said: “Don’t knock it until you try it.” Blueberries, bacon, and jalapenos are just a few of the creative ingredients for these competitors. This is serious cornbread business you don’t want to miss. arkansascornbreadfestival.com ***

Festival season is upon us. Get your walking shoes, grab a friend or the family and find the festival that makes you happy. In the end, your festival visit may be the reason a community grows, a project is finished, or a dollar is raised.

Karen Ott Mayer is a writer and editor based in Como, Mississippi.

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homegrown } pancho’s

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Dipping into Success

By Charlene Oldham | Photography courtesy of Pancho’s

Pancho’s devotees have spread the word, taking the creamy, cheese dip from its Memphis roots to 18 states and more than 1,000 stores.

No matter what his shopping list includes, Tim Wallace always detours to the dips in the grocery store cold case. As general manager for Pancho’s Mexican Foods Inc., Wallace wears many hats – including impromptu supermarket stocker.

“I can’t go into a grocery store without looking at the dip display,” he said. “I have to turn the Pancho’s labels to the front.”

On one such trip to a local Kroger, Wallace encountered a distressed shopper. The elderly woman was craving a container of Pancho’s Original Cheese Dip, and the store only had the White Cheese Dip displayed. Wallace went to the back of the store himself and came out with a case of the classic yellow dip.

“And she said, ‘Do you work here?’ I said, ‘No ma’am,

I work at Pancho’s. I make all the cheese dip.’ She was just so excited that she hugged me.”

Wallace doesn’t exactly make all the dip himself considering Pancho’s now ships its products to stores in 18 states and more than 1,000 stores, according to his estimate.

But Pancho’s production plant in Memphis is modest, with about a dozen employees transforming at least 10,000 pounds of American cheese into dip daily.

Pancho’s Mexican Foods Inc. also operates two restaurants, including a location in Memphis and its flagship restaurant in West Memphis, Ark., opened by the Berger family in 1956. The restaurant on the Arkansas side of the Mississippi River isn’t in its original location, which was destroyed by an 18-wheeler about nine months after opening, but it is in the same spot where the restaurant reopened shortly afterward.

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Panchos Restaurant - West Memphis, AR

The Original Cheese Dip Pancho’s serves and ships to stores is also still made with the restaurant recipe developed in 1956 and the business is still owned by the Berger family.

It’s that consistency and quality that keeps customers coming back, Wallace said. Pancho’s doesn’t use fillers or additives such as vegetable starch to cut costs and increase yield, which is one reason he decided to focus more on retail sales rather than restaurants when he took over day-to-day operations for the company 20 years ago.

It’s tough to make a profit in the restaurant industry, especially when you’re competing with massive chain eateries while using the same filler-free ingredients customers can buy in a supermarket, Wallace said.

“Everything you get in the restaurants, you could make yourself at home,” he said. When we make our taco meat, it’s 100 percent ground beef.”

The ingredients list for the dips are also much shorter than most commercial competitors, with American cheese serving as the main ingredient for both the Original and White Cheese Dip. Wallace said he regularly fields calls from food companies offering to sell him thickening agents and other additives that would allow the company to cut costs on ingredients, but he’s committed to using the original recipe that folks find addictive.

Indeed, Pancho’s cheese dip has its own fan club and a Facebook page with more than 25,000 followers. And customer demand has driven distribution well beyond the Mid-South.

“We don’t have any salesmen out there,” Wallace said. “Our customers are our salesmen.”

The Pancho’s dip website even has a flyer that fans can print out and take to grocery store managers in their area. People who grew up in the Mid-South and work in the grocery industry have also helped bolster the brand, Wallace said.

“We’ve seen a 25 to 30 percent year-over-year growth over the last five years on the retail side and that’s pretty phenomenal.”

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Pancho’s plant produces three varieties of cheese dip, a hot dip, a mild salsa, its tangy green dressing and some ingredients for its restaurants. The Original Cheese Dip is the company’s biggest seller in the Mid-South while the White Cheese Dip, which Wallace developed nearly 20 years ago, is its most-popular product elsewhere.

“And the reason for that is, outside this area, people don’t understand how we serve our cheese dip in the Mid-South,” he said. “We don’t heat it up. And the first thing they do with the yellow cheese dip outside this area is heat it up. That’s a no-no in Memphis.”

The restaurants serve the dip at room temperature, and many Pancho’s dip devotees like it straight from the fridge or added to entrees at one of the restaurants.

It’s also a perennially favorite at footballwatch parties and other events. No matter how they devour their dip, Wallace said the company owes its success to loyal customers like the fellow Kroger shopper who’d been buying Pancho’s dip for decades.

“The biggest thing I want to say is thank you to all our customers,” Wallace said. “We couldn’t have done it without them.” panchosdip.com

Charlene Oldham is a St. Louis-based writer who grew up in the Arkansas Delta. She has worked as a staff writer for both the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and the Dallas Morning News.

DeSoto 71

southern gentleman } obnoxious fans

Superfan Steve

Football Schmutball,

I Came for Beer!

By Jason Frye

What’s the best way to deal with an obnoxious football fan? Possibly just finding the dip and chips.

It’s back: football season. I have to admit I’m already exhausted by it.

Not the hits, not ESPN Game Day, not the wall-towall-every-hour-of-Saturday-and-Sundayness of it. Not even the car flags or the bandwagon fans or the haters or your great-grandmama who has cheered for the same team since 72 DeSoto

the forward pass was invented. In fact, I love your grandmama even if she has a cow bell (in two colors: home and away) that she rings like the dickens from her recliner for the duration of the game.

No, none of these exhausts me, but what does is Superfan Steve.

Superfan Steve doesn’t get it: no one is as into, as passionate about, or as willing to discuss championship contention one minute after kickoff on the first game of the season as Steve. No one knows every roster down to the walk on, fourth string tight end/punter who was a rock star forward on his prep school junior varsity soccer club as Steve.

And no one cares.

Superfan Steve TALKS IN ALL CAPS because “FOOTBALL IS MY PASSION,” and he wants everyone within a three-house radius to know it.

When I met Steve, I liked him. He’s gregarious, funny, can talk about a lot of things, but then one Saturday afternoon in the fall a few years ago, I met Superfan Steve and that guy is the worst. He ruined college football for me.

College football and me, our relationship started in West Virginia where, at the time, you were either a WVU fan or nothing. Unless you were my uncle Dave, a Marshall University alumnus who knew the team lost in the 1970 plane crash. He went to games, took our Boy Scout troop to watch the Thundering Herd play, and cheered for them even when they were at their worst.

As for me, I went to Marshall during peak football – undefeated seasons and regular mentions on ESPN. Friends like Randy Moss, Chad Pennington, Doug Baldwin, John Wade and Jason Starkey went on to illustrious, even Hall of Fame careers. Naturally I followed Marshall after I graduated, but with time and distance, the fandom faded. What emerged was a fandom of the sport. I like football, but unlike Superfan Steve, it’s not an all-consuming love.

On Saturdays in the fall, most of our friends can’t resist the pull of one garage or another, and by mid-afternoon five or six guys are there drinking beer and cooking things on various grills, trying to watch our language as a pack of children dash from the house through the garage to the yard and back again and again. Superfan Steve, he’s right in the middle of everything, commenting as if he’s a play-by-play broadcaster.

“THE QB’S RUNNING RIGHT! HE’S RUNNING RIGHT! GET HIM! OH, HE PITCHED IT OUT TO THE BACK! HE’S OFF TO THE RACES AND THAT’S HOW YOU CALL A BOOTLEG!

As if we all aren’t watching the same television.

DID YOU SEE THAT?! – that’s how he talks, in all caps and with two punctuation marks – DID! YOU! SEE! THAT!?!

We did.

And then he high fives everyone. Everyone. Any kids running through, anyone sitting near him at the little bar in our buddy’s garage, anyone at the card table behind. He even makes a lap out to the driveway to high five the grillers and the cigarette smokers and tell them – IN ALL CAPS – how awesome that play just was.

Last fall, Superfan Steve and I found ourselves alone in the garage. I was nursing a beer and praying that he’d be like a good airplane seatmate and ignore me, but it was not to be.

WHO DO YOU THINK WILL WIN IT ALL THIS YEAR? ALABAMA? GEORGIA? OLE MISS? AUBURN? CLEMSON? LSU?

It was the first week of September, far too early to predict anything. “I don’t know,” I said and turned back to my beer.

BUT YOU GOT AN OPINION, RIGHT?

“I do not.”

A moment of blessed silence.

I THINK THAT RUNNING BACK, SCRAPPY BOJANGLESON, IS WINNING THE HEISMAN, DON’T YOU? I MEAN, THAT GUY…

“Beats me, man, I don’t even know who that guy is or who he plays for and I couldn’t tell you who won the Heisman last year.”

Silence, again, and we sipped our beer.

“I’m going inside for dip,” I said.

And that’s what I do. When the superfandom becomes too much, when the football talk devolves into which Heisman runner up from Alabama should’ve won but he didn’t because of the voting committee’s loyalty to Auburn or LSU or whatever state university, I go inside. Where the wives are. Where the food is better. Where the kids are being hilarious and where no one is yelling at me about the play I just watched.

“What’s going on out there, Jason?” one of the wives asks.

Before I can say Superfan Steve, we hear DID YOU SEE THAT!? THAT’S THE GREATEST CATCH IN THE HISTORY OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL RIGHT THERE!!!

And I don’t have to say a word.

Jason Frye is a freelance writer from Wilmington, North Carolina. Jason has authored three travel guides for Moon Publications and written for Southern Living and the Dallas Morning News.

DeSoto 73

southern harmony } southern halo

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From the Delta to Nashville

By Kevin Wierzbicki | Photography courtesy of Chuck Arlund

The Delta’s latest contribution to the music world is Southern Halo, a trio of sisters who are making their voices heard in Nashville.

It might be a bit puzzling to some why the GRAMMY Museum Mississippi even exists, let alone why it is located in the tiny city of Cleveland where the population barely tops 12,000, a far cry from the Los Angeles location of the original and only other GRAMMY Museum. But Cleveland is situated in the Mississippi Delta, a flat farming region that has also raised up an incredible crop of musicians that includes famed blues men James Cotton, B.B. King and John Lee Hooker. Widely recognized as “the birthplace of America’s music,” the Delta continues to give with young acts like Southern Halo, the country/pop trio consisting of Natalia, Christina and Hannah Morris.

The Morris sisters now reside in Nashville part of the time, but they will always be Delta girls attached to their native Cleveland.

“I believe that the Mississippi Delta’s musical history is the true inspiration behind many musicians,” Natalia says. “We have always said and truly believe that there’s something in that Delta dirt.”

Natalia is the oldest of the siblings and was the first to get into music, playing piano at 6-years-old and picking up the guitar a few years later. It didn’t take long for the Delta to work its magic; Southern Halo was born while the sisters were still in elementary school.

After playing shows in regional bars and restaurants, the girls got their first big break when Southern Halo was invited to play at B.B. King’s Birthday Homecoming Festival in Indianola, Mississippi, in 2012.

“It was our largest audience to date, and we expanded our set list to include blues songs and we were overwhelmed at DeSoto 75

the wonderful audience response,” says Christina. “They made us feel right at home on the big stage. And we had the honor of meeting B.B. after the show.”

Since those early days, Southern Halo has been on the fast track to stardom.

Their first EP was produced by Jeff Cook of Alabama, they’ve toured overseas multiple times, they’ve played on the Spotlight Stage at the CMA Fest, they’ve placed singles on the Billboard and Music Row charts, and they’ve recently released an impressive new album called “Just Like in the Movies.”

Regarding the group’s skyrocketing popularity, Hannah says, “We love to think that our family, friends and community help to keep us grounded. It takes a village to raise a child, literally!”

Hannah also cites an example of an ego-busting occurrence from a show in Nashville: “Our equipment cart blew a tire right on Broadway during the CMA Fest, and we had to carry the equipment piece-by-piece down the busiest street in Nashville. It was hilarious!”

“Just Like in the Movies” is a concept album, the seeds of which came to Natalia in a dream. The album opens with the catchy “Southern Halo,” a cut that’s not directly about the band; rather it’s a celebration of all Delta young ladies, who among other delightful things are described as being “Sweeter than a glass of tea.”

Sugary harmonies are a big part of Southern Halo’s appeal and the three blend voices flawlessly on “Notice Me,” an appeal to a seemingly uninterested guy, on the encouraging “Anything is Possible” and during the homesick “Missing Mississippi.”

Everything on the album is crafted not only for the charts but also for hearts; cuts like the self-explanatory “Coming Home” and “Gettin’ Back Up” will strike a chord with many who have experienced similar emotions. Perhaps the song nearest to being autobiographical is “My Girls & Me,” a story of the rigors of being a musician on the road and the difficulty and ultimately the joys of all that comes along with it.

Natalia, Christina and Hannah Morris are barely out of their teen years, and this fall Southern Halo will be performing a few shows on the High School Nation tour, appearing in as-yet-to-be-named schools in Texas and Florida in late September and in South Carolina in early October. Southern Halo will also perform at the Chillin’ on the Lucie festival Oct. 5 and 6 in Port St. Lucie, Florida where they’ll share the bill with Craig Campbell, Parmalee, and Wynonna & the Big Noise as well as perform a special show with Trent Tomlinson.

It seems like Natalia’s dream is rapidly becoming reality for Southern Halo, so what about that GRAMMY Museum in the band’s hometown?

“On the outside of the museum there’s a photo montage representing Mississippi’s music heritage,” Natalia says about the Cleveland installation. “It depicts famous artists’ faces and you can see it from the main road. It would be pretty cool to be right there in the middle of them!”

“I believe that the Mississippi Delta’s musical history is the true inspiration behind many musicians.”

Natalia Morris

Kevin Wierzbicki is a longtime resident of Phoenix, Arizona. He writes about music for AXS.com and about travel for various publications.

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DeSoto 77

in good spirits} fall punches

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Punches with Fall Flair

By Charlene Oldham | Photography courtesy of Lemon Tree Dwelling

Regardless of their team’s record, everyone can look forward to at least one bowl this football season – the punch bowl.

Punch is a perfect party drink for tailgating season because the host can mix up a big batch before kickoff and leave guests to refill their own glasses. This simple apple pie punch recipe, developed by Becky Hardin, founder of The Cookie Rookie blog, also comes together so quickly that you could stir up a second batch during halftime.

This recipe is also versatile because it’s delicious with or without vodka and easy to double if you want to spike one batch and omit alcohol from the other. Serve this punch over ice; for those fortunate football fans whose teams are playing in bowl games come December, you can warm the punch on a stovetop.

Apple Pie Punch 1 apple, chopped or sliced with the seeds and stem removed 1-quart apple cider 2 cups pear nectar (Available online) 24 ounces ginger ale 1.5 ounces apple pie vodka or caramel vodka (if desired) per individual serving or 1-to-1.5 cups for a full batch

Directions

Combine apple cider, pear nectar, ginger ale and vodka. Stir well. Place the apple slices inside the pitcher or punch bowl.

Serve over ice or pour all the liquid ingredients in a saucepan to warm over low heat before adding the apple slices.

Serve warm punch in mugs.

NATIONAL PUNCH DAY

September 20 is also National Punch Day, and you might like to celebrate with something sophisticated. David Rich, owner and head distiller at Rich Grain Distilling Company in Canton, Mississippi, offers this recipe that features fall flavors and one rather unexpected ingredient:

SPICED RUM PUNCH 1 bottle Rich Grain Distilling Co. Spiced Rum 24 ounces apple cider 12 ounces ginger simple syrup (See recipe below) 6 ounces lime juice 2 12-ounce bottles wheat pilsner beer (Blue Moon or similar) Apple slices for garnish Ginger Simple Syrup 2 cups water 2 cups sugar 2-inch piece fresh ginger, roughly chopped or ¼ cup peels if using a vegetable peeler

Directions

For simple syrup, heat water up to a boil and turn heat to a simmer. Stir in sugar until fully dissolved. Add ginger and simmer about 5 minutes. Turn off heat and allow to cool for at least an hour. Strain ginger particles, then combine with the other ingredients. This recipe makes about three quarts of punch.

“You can garnish each cup with a cinnamon stick, star anise pods or apple slices and you can float star anise and apple slices on the top of the punch for decoration,” Rich says. “For an added flavor enhancement, a small handful of morel mushrooms can be soaked in the spiced rum overnight.

This won’t give a strong mushroom flavor to the drink but will instead increase the umami – also known as savory – sensation.

The flavors will last and linger much longer.”

Charlene Oldham is a St. Louis-based writer who grew up in the Arkansas Delta. She has worked as a staff writer for both the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and the Dallas Morning News.

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exploring events } september 31st Iuka Heritage Festival and Car & Tractor Show August 31 - September 1 Mineral Springs Park Iuka, MS The festival is free for all which includes all day entertainment, vendors with all sorts of crafts, jewelry, clothing, food, etc. The antique car show is held in downtown Iuka. For more information, please contact Sandra Medlin 662-423-8638 or Martha Biggs 662-423-8421.

Hummingbird Migration & Nature Festival September 7 - 9 Strawberry Plains Audubon Center Holly Springs, MS Highlights include renowned guest speakers, guided nature walks, live animal shows, kids activity zone, wagon rides, nature-themed arts & crafts vendors, native plant sale and up-close views of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds being banded and released! For more information visit strawberry. audubon.org/hummingbird or call 662-252-1155.

Tanger Outlets Food Truck & Craft Beer Festival September 1 Tanger Outlets Southaven, MS Noon - 5:00pm Food Truck Festivals of America is heading to the Birthplace of Rock ‘n Roll for the First Ever Memphis Food Truck & Craft Beer Festival at Tanger Outlets in Southaven, MS. Featuring some of the area’s most popular food trucks, dishing out fan favorites, along with dozens of regional and national craft breweries. This is a family friendly event. For more info and to purchase tickets visit foodtruckfestivalsofamerica.com.

DeSoto Family Presents “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe” September 7-16 Landers Center Theater Southaven, MS This new dramatization of C.S. Lewis’ classic, set in the land of Narnia, faithfully recreates the magic and mystery of Aslan, the great lion, his struggle with the White Witch and the adventures of four children who inadvertently wander from an old wardrobe into the exciting, never-tobe-forgotten Narnia. Purchase tickets at Landers Center box office 662-470-2131 or Ticketmaster. For additional information visit, dftonline.org or call the box office.

Repticon September 1 - 2 Landers Center Southaven, MS Sat 10:00am-5:00pm; Sun 10:00am-4:00pm Repticon is a reptile event featuring vendors offering reptile pets, supplies, feeders, cages and merchandise as well as live animal seminars and frequent free raffles for coveted prizes.

For more information, visit repticon.com or call 863-268-4273.

Mississippi Senior Expo and Health Fair September 11 Brown Missionary Baptist Church Southaven, MS 9:00am - 2:30pm Join title sponsor Kroger Pharmacy and over 40 vendors for health screenings, door prizes, flu shots, a fashion parade and more. Register to win a 55” television. Free parking and admission.

Turnrow Books Author event with Lisa Patton “RUSH” September 6 Turnrow Books Greenwood, MS 5:30pm Bestselling author Lisa Patton digs deep into exciting new territory with RUSH, a story about mothers and daughters, sisterhood, tradition, and doing the right thing. For more information visit turnrowbooks.com or call 662-453-5995.

The 38th Annual 300 Oaks Road Races September 15 Greenwood, MS Races include a 10K run, 5K run, 5K Walk and One-Mile Color Fun Run in Greenwood, Mississippi. Come run some of the most beautiful, shaded streets in Mississippi, including Grand Boulevard, once named by the National Garden Clubs of America as one of the country’s 10 most beautiful streets. Post-race party on the Yazoo River features live entertainment, free food and drinks for participants.

Register and find more race info at 300oaks.com or contact the Greenwood-Leflore Chamber of Commerce at 662-453-4152.

Classic Music Festival September 7 Landers Center Southaven, MS 8:00pm Featuring special guests Tank, K. Michelle, Ro James and Major. For more information, call 662-470-2131 or visit landerscenter.com.

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West FIGHT ON Cycle - Run - Walk September 16 Shelby Farms Park Memphis, TN With a full suite of fitness activities including three different cycling distances, a 5K run and a 1 mile walk and culminating with post-race festivities in Celebration Village, West FIGHT ON is an experience unlike any other.

Celebration Village hosts vendors, sponsors, kids’ activities,

brunch, entertainment, and touching tributes to honor and remember those affected by cancer. For more information visit westfighton.org.

Annual Mid-South Fair September 20 - 30 Landers Center Southaven, MS The Mid-South Fair will be returning to Landers Center!

There will be 10 days of fun with exciting carnival midway rides, carnival games, outdoor entertainment, petting zoo, contests, delicious fair food and more. Ride coupons and wristbands can be purchased from booths inside the fair. For more information, call 662-470-2131 or visit midsouthfair.com.

16th Annual Hernando Water Tower Festival September 21-22 Hernando Courthouse Square Hernando, MS Bring the family for two days of fun-filled activities to Hernando’s Water Tower Festival. This free event begins Friday with live music and the BBQ team’s firing up their grills for the annual BBQ contest. Saturday from 9am-3pm enjoy arts and crafts vendors, car show, food vendors, community stage and a free Kidz Zone. End the weekend Saturday night with live music from 7pm-11pm. For more information, visit hernandoms.org or call 662-429-9055.

Indian Bayou Arts & Eats Festival September 22 Indianola, MS 9:00am - 4:00pm Handmade arts and crafts, “Food Talk” with Deborah Hunter from MPB, Delta Dog Contest, live music all day, festival food, children’s activities, plus the Craig Claiborne Pecan Pie Competition (2nd year). FREE family fun! For more information, email evelyntog@yahoo.com or call 662-887-4454.

Waterway Festival and Car Show September 22 Burnsville, MS Arts & crafts, car show, food vendors, 5K run, live music and more. Fun for the entire family! For more information visit burnsvillems.com or call 662-279-0234.

Down on Main Concert Series September 22 Fairpark Downtown Tupelo, MS 6:00pm - 10:00pm Featuring Crossroad Band, Oxford All-Stars Band, Baggage Up Band, Sam Mosley, Jamie Baker & the VIPs and TK Soul.

Join us on September 22 for a special Down On Main event.

For the first time, Down on Main is partnering with the Communities Forward Festival to bring you an event unlike any other. You won’t want to miss this! For more information visit tupelomainstreet.com or call 662-841-6598.

Cedar Hill Farm Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maize Sep 22 - Nov 3 Cedar Hill Farm Hernando, MS Take a tractor drawn hayride out to the pumpkin patch and let the kids pick their own pumpkin. All sizes, shapes and colors to choose from. Try your luck in the Hay Maze and large Corn Maize. Spend the whole day and enjoy a farm fresh dinner or supper in the Country Kitchen and browse the Country Store. No Pets! For more information or to purchase tickets, visit gocedarhillfarm.com or call 662-429-2540.

Justin Moore September 27 Landers Center Southaven, MS 7:30pm For more information, call 662-470-2131, visit landerscenter.com or ticketmaster.com.

The Pumpkin Patch September 29 - October 27 Merry Christmas Tree Farm Nesbit, MS Merry Christmas Tree Farm also has a pumpkin patch!

Take a hayride to the pumpkin patch and pick your own pumpkin. Price depends on size of pumpkin. Also available to purchase are mums, corn, corn stalks and hay. Picking hours are Fridays, noon-5pm, Saturdays, 9am-5pm and Sundays, noon-5pm. For more information, call 662-429-9462 or visit merrychristmastreefarm.com.

Charity Golf Tournament For Veterans September 29 Cherokee Valley Golf Club Olive Branch, MS Noon - 8:00pm Medal of Honor Recipients SSG (r) Sal Giunta, SSG (r) Clint Romesha and SGT (r) Kyle White will be honored guests for this event. Along with Medal of Honor guests, members of the veteran community in DeSoto are invited to be guests of two complimentary foursomes. Immediately following the golf tournament there will be a dinner and auction open to the public. Registration fee includes round of golf and dinner. For more information, email dmoore1776@aol.com or lcarruth@taskforceresolute.com or call 662-893-4444.

DeSoto 81

reflections} from one to two. again.

From One to Two. Again.

By Karen Ott Mayer

Laughter rang from somewhere in the farmhouse. I heard it as I walked through the front yard after helping an older couple to their car. Today, I remarried...something I always said I’d never do again in this lifetime.

“Never say never,” mom always said. Why are mothers still right when we’re well over 50?

The house was full. Friends, family and a few unfamiliar faces brought on the arms of guests to our spur-ofthe-moment, outside farm wedding.

As someone who stayed single for the last 18 years, I joined a chorus of girlfriends who settled into a single life – some never having married or some divorced. We’ve pursued careers, renovated properties, traveled, turned hobbies into businesses and pretty much made our own rules as we’ve gone along. Together, we’ve dated endless lines of men, getting to know the social scene so well we could act as each other’s radar.

“Hey, see that guy? Stay away from him. He’s nothing but trouble,” said a friend while we stood in a crowded restaurant. I looked at his good-looking face with a sinking heart because I knew him. Memphis is small. North Mississippi is even smaller. Few secrets are kept and reputations are as fragile as local gossip is strong.

We’ve made mistakes for sure. Life isn’t always as shiny as Facebook would like for all of us to believe. When’s the last time anyone posted about their recent bankruptcy or depression or adulterous spouse? Those realities are buried beneath pictures of the beach, the latest gourmet dinner or last glamorous road trip.

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Life is hard. Some of us are slow learners, making our mistakes as we find the right choices for ourselves as the world tells us who we should be. “Karen, you’re a free spirit.”

“Karen’s a mess, but I love her spirit.” “It will take someone special for you.” I’ve heard it all.

What I found now is something new even at 50. At least for me. A steadfast loyalty. Someone who doesn’t cringe when I say quite often, “Hey, I have an idea!” Someone who never moves – even when I’m moving all about. Someone who spars and laughs with me. Someone whose brain works in perfect reverse order as mine so that it makes us both dizzy trying to figure out each other’s rationale. Someone who never wavered in four years despite shutting down businesses, starting new careers, renovating old properties, building a 500 square foot cottage nearly by ourselves, and starting a bed and breakfast.

We’ve watched old friends die, close friendships end, and new friends arrive. Going from one to two is a transition for every life surrounding a couple. And everyone decides how or if they will remain part of the new picture.

As I walk back into the house, my youngest niece gives me another big hug and stares directly into my eyes as her 16-year-old brain still wants to understand love. “Aunt Karen, are you happy?” she asks with a grin. “Yes, I am happy, Kallie.

Are you?” She giggles. “Yes, I am happy.” Her choices still lie ahead, unborn and anticipated, and we both know it.

Karen Ott Mayer is a writer and editor based in Como, Mississippi.