DeSoto Magazine May 2019

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may CONTENTS 2019 • VOLUME 16 • NO. 5

features

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The Architectural Visionaries of Black Dog Salvage

Is it a Sears House?

Early 20th Century Kits

Little Rock’s SoMa Returns to Life

departments 14 Living Well Serving Service Dogs

42 On the Road Again Charleston, South Carolina

18 Notables Coulter Fussell

44 Greater Goods 66 Homegrown Queen’s Reward

22 Exploring Art Muddy Mae Pottery

72 Southern Gentleman Camping 101

26 Exploring Books Southern Splendor

74 Southern Harmony Marshall Tucker Band

30 Southern Roots For the Birds

76 In Good Spirits Fillmore Feelgood

34 Table Talk Roots & Revelry

38 Exploring Destinations The Roost in Ocean Springs

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78 Exploring Events 80 Reflections Waiting on Florence

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editor’s note | MAY

Architectural Visionaries

This month, DeSoto Magazine focuses on the art and architecture that make the South unique as well as the people who create treasures that benefit their communities.

Little Rock’s SoMa district is an example of how visionary entrepreneurs worked together to revitalize the historic area that suffered when a highway divided the city into north and south sections. Writer Karen Ott Mayer visited SoMa and met some of the folks who were instrumental in making SoMa a popular destination again.

Andrea Ross writes about Sears & Roebuck kit homes, forgotten treasures that were popular in the early 20th century. Although they are hard to identify, the kit homes still exist and Andrea gives some clues about how to find them.

Not all structures can be saved in their entirety. Mike Whiteside and Robert Kulp, owners of Black Dog Salvage in Roanoke, Virginia, save buildings piece by piece. The two Navy veterans parlayed their business into a popular television series, “Salvage Dawgs,” on the DIY Network. Read my story about how they showcase ‘salvage décor’ in a structure they did save.

Getting the mascot for Black Dog Salvage to pose for the DeSoto cover was especially fitting because May is National Pet Month. In honor of man’s best friend, we have several canine-related stories. Just as Black Dog

MAY 2019 • Vol. 16 No.5

PUBLISHER & CREATIVE DIRECTOR Adam Mitchell PUBLISHER & ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Paula Mitchell MANAGING EDITOR Mary Ann DeSantis ASSISTANT EDITOR Andrea Brown Ross

Salvage supports pet rescue organizations so does Muddy-Mae Pottery. We hope their stories will inspire you to support pet rescue and animal shelters in your areas.

On another note, we offer congratulations to writer Verna Gates, whose story “Fiercest Football Rivalries” in last September’s DeSoto Magazine won first place awards from both the National Federation of Press Women and the Alabama Media Professionals recently. In addition to a Lifetime Achievement Award from Alabama Media Professionals, Verna also won second-place for her DeSoto Magazine story about Birmingham’s eclectic music scene.

Happy reading!

Mary Ann on the cover

Molly May, a rescue lab from Mississippi, enjoys being the mascot for Black Dog Salvage in Roanoke, Virginia. She is relaxing on the porch of The Stone House, a historic home that showcases the company’s “salvage décor.”

Photo courtesy of Tay Whiteside.

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Bridgett Jordan CONTRIBUTORS Deborah Burst Cheré Coen Mary Ann DeSantis Jackie Sheckler Finch Verna Gates Jason Frye Karen Ott Mayer Andrea Brown Ross Karon Warren Pam Windsor PUBLISHED BY DeSoto Media 2375 Memphis St. Ste 208 Hernando, MS 38632 662.429.4617 ADVERTISING INFO: Paula Mitchell 901-262-9887 Paula@DeSotoMag.com SUBSCRIBE: DeSotoMagazine.com/subscribe

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©2019 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 | ANIMAL EYESIGHT

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Dr Bill Miller holding cataract patient

A Vision for Service

By Karon Warren Photography Courtesy of Greg Belz and American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists

Keeping an eye on your pet’s vision helps to ensure they maintain healthy eyes for years to come.

As a veterinary ophthalmologist, William Miller, D.V.M., M.S., DACVO, of Memphis Veterinary Specialists in Cordova, Tennessee, has examined many service dogs through the years.

“Veterinary ophthalmologists have been seeing service dogs for years all across the country,” he says. “We would see them anytime during the year, and [most ophthalmologists] didn’t charge anything for it because the dogs are doing a great service for everybody.”

However, it occurred to Miller that veterinarians’ efforts were not enough.

“We realized there’s probably a lot of service dogs out there that we’re not reaching, he says.

So, in 2008, he enlisted the aid of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists and founded the ACVO’s annual National Service Animal Eye Exam event, which takes place each spring with registration in April for appointments in May.

During this event, veterinary ophthalmologists nationwide provide free routine eye exams to service animals of all kinds: dogs, horses, miniature horses, donkeys, alpacas and cats. These animals serve both private individuals as well as many law enforcement agencies with hearing assistance, seizure alerts, handicapped assistance, diabetic alerts, search and rescue, drug detection, as cadaver dogs, and more.

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have received free routine eye exams through the program, saving service animal owners more than $2.6 million.

At his office in Cordova, as well as his sister office (Arkansas Veterinary Emergency & Specialists) in Little Rock, Arkansas, Miller has seen approximately 80 or 90 service animals each year as part of the event.

According to Miller, feedback on the program has been positive.

“Some people look forward to it every year and get their dogs eye exams,” he says. “They seem very pleased with it, and they tend to come back year after year.”

However, Miller would love to see many more dogs taking advantage of this free event.

“There are a bunch of great dogs out there that are doing a great service to the public that we’re not seeing,” he says. “And with dogs such as police dogs and drug detection dogs, communities have a lot of money invested in these dogs.

“If we can pick up an eye problem and resolve it before it takes that dog out of service, that’s good for the dog and good for the community. And we’ve been able to do that.

That keeps these dogs in service longer. It’s quite an investment in the communities that have them.”

Not only are these routine eye exams free, they also are quick. Miller says, at most, the appointments take approximately 20 minutes. If an eye problem is detected, the veterinary ophthalmologist will discuss follow-up treatment.

There could be an additional charge, but that’s up to the individual veterinary ophthalmologist and his or her office.

Miller says there are instances when additional treatment could be covered by the administering veterinary ophthalmologist.

Registration for the ACVO/StokesRx National Service Animal Eye Exam event takes place every April from April 1-30 with exams following in May. To qualify, all service and working animals must be “active working animals” that 18 DeSoto

have completed a formal training program or are currently in a formal training program. Details on full qualification are available on the event website at ACVOeyeexam.org.

The website also includes a list of all participating veterinary ophthalmologists nationwide, so it’s easy to locate a nearby office.

Miller hopes the number of dogs he sees each year will continue to increase.

“I’ve been pretty amazed at what these service dogs can actually do, and I am very pleased to be able to help these guys out over the years.”

As important as it is for service animals to have their vision checked each year, personal pets also should have their vision checked every year.

“Most owners are pretty attuned to vision problems in their animals,” Miller says. “If they see redness or discharge in an eye or see a change in eye color, they probably want to at least alert their primary care veterinarian.”

Surprisingly, animals share many of the same vision problems as their owners.

“Like humans, cataracts and dry eye would be the two big things we see on a routine basis,” Miller says. “We see quite a few cornea ulcers in dogs, because they stick their faces in places that they don’t need to be sticking their faces.”

In most cases, the primary care veterinarian can treat vision problems. However, if there’s an eye problem that does not resolve quickly, they may provide a referral to an ophthalmologist.

By keeping an eye on your pet’s vision, you can help ensure they maintain healthy eyes for years to come.

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

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notables | COULTER FUSSELL

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A Stitched-Together Life Story and photography by Karen Ott Mayer

Only a select few receive a United States Artists fellowship. This year, quilter Coulter Fussell of Water Valley is among the artists selected to receive the $50,000 award.

More than a decade ago, my first meeting with the young artist Coulter Fussell occurred in her Yalo Studio located in Water Valley, Mississippi. A sliver of a building located on the historic Main Street, the small space afforded the young mother and artist a place to paint and sell her art. She renovated the space herself with babies in tow, always calm and easy going.

Several years ago, she shifted her focus from painting to the textile arts and returned to her earliest creative origins: stitching. For the last five years she has stitched together a living for her family and clients in her new YaloRUN Textiles studio and workshop.

A year ago, she received an email stating she had been anonymously nominated for a United States Artists fellowship.

“You have to be nominated in order to apply. When I first got the email, I actually wondered if it was a joke,” she says.

With her father’s encouragement, she applied and didn’t think about it again. In early 2019 while waiting tables at Ajax in Oxford, Mississippi, her phone rang. She recognized the number but was too busy to answer.

“When it rang again, I thought these folks were awfully persistent about telling me I didn’t get the award,” she says with a laugh. She ducked into the back alley to return the call. A group greeted her on speaker phone. “They told me I DeSoto 21

was chosen to receive this artist’s award for $50,000, and they all started clapping and shouting. I started crying.” After a few moments, she did what her practical and likeable disposition required: “I told them I had to get back to my tables!”

Fussell, nominated anonymously in the craft category, received one of the United States Artists (USA) fellowships given annually to artists working and living in the U.S. Each year, the organization chooses 50 artists to receive the unrestricted $50,000 award. Founded in 2006 by the Ford, Rockefeller, Rasmuson, and Prudential Foundations, USA has given over $25 million in unrestricted $50,000 awards to more than 500 artists in all disciplines at every career stage. Other notable Mississippians – poet Beth Ann Fennelly and the late writer Barry Hannah – were past USA-award recipients.

Fussell’s work has quietly gained recognition through her partnerships with other experimental textile artists, particularly the New York City Thompson Street Studio run

by Susan Cianciolo and Kiva Motnyk. In 2017, Fussell was named runner-up for the new Southern Prize, given by the Atlanta-based organization South Arts. She received $10,000 for placing second in that competition.

Her studio could be mistaken for a retail space, but Fussell doesn’t sell from the studio. Nevertheless, she encourages fabric and clothing donations.

“People are always dropping something at the door. I’m the place where people bring their mother’s and grandmother’s things because they want to see them used,” she says.

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She has even accumulated more than 30 sewing machines through donations. “I may use one or two but I prefer to hand stitch more than 80 percent of the time.” In the morning before the day starts, in the evening after her kids sleep, the single mom has a needle in hand.

In her studio, a colorful mélange of fabrics covers the floor and chairs, creating a cheerful gathering in every free corner. She painted the walls white and laughs when she remarks the building has no central heat or air.

She repurposes whatever people bring from jeans and vintage curtains to antique embroidered pieces. It’s a far cry from what she first thought of needlework.

“My mom is an accomplished quilter in Georgia.

That’s my mom’s quilt she made in 1967 and I took to college,” she says pointing to a vintage piece hanging on the wall. “I was a tomboy and wanted to be an artist. Mama and I made quilts together in high school. She let me go but added her technical skill. I thought the fabric store was so boring and had no interest in quilting!”

Fussell began taking more interest after an ironic turn of events. “A friend of mine started talking with my mom about quilting and they were having so much fun, I decided I wanted to join them!” With a degree in art from the University of Mississippi, she explains the reasons textile art differs from painting.

“It’s the same method but different application.

Painting is harder because there are no rules that I can grasp.

Textiles allow me to self-edit, and I like the way the craft edits your work for you.”

Fussell can cut, piece, sew and produce an original quilt in about two weeks. She accepts commissions, especially from clients who have sentimental fabrics or cloth they want to repurpose.

As far as the award, Fussell takes it in her graceful stride like everything else. “I’ve worked really hard to get it and it’s nice to see it happen. I just always thought things are going to work out. I don’t have a plan B because I don’t want to do anything else.” yaloruntextiles.com pieceworkcollective.com Karen Ott-Mayer is a freelance writer based in Como, Mississippi.

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exploring art | MUDDY MAE POTTERY

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Pawing for pottery

By Karen Ott Mayer | Photography by Adam Mitchell

A love of animals and a fascination for color glazes inspired Amy Harrison to create Muddy Mae Pottery.

Take one rural Mississippi hillside, mix with one miniature Australian Shepherd, and add an artist’s hand. The result? A budding business called Muddy Mae Pottery driven by owner Amy Harrison’s creative mind. Her studio sits on her quiet property located in the Longtown community west of Como, Mississippi.

Harrison hails originally from Lafayette, Louisiana, but moved to Mississippi with her family as a young girl. When she talks about her creative pursuits, her conversations include her late father. Harrison strolls her studio, pointing out the tools and woodworking equipment she learned to use.

“My dad was good with wood and definitely my early inspiration. He showed me tools and how to use them,” she remembers.

Long before pottery, she began working with wood and tin, making picture frames and crosses and establishing a solid local business. Over time, she toyed with the idea of pottery.

“I took a continuing education night class at Northwest Community College and learned how to make bowls out of forms and not on a wheel,” she says. Despite her introduction to the art more than eight years ago, Harrison couldn’t quite DeSoto 25

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“I always say this dog saved my life, not physically but mentally. I had just lost my father, my mentor and best friend. My world was completely upside down. Mae was the reason I had to get out of bed every day.

Mae never left my side during the hardest time of my life.

That’s why I named my business after her.”

Amy Harrison Amy and Mae visting Cynthia’s Boutique in Hernando

convince herself to move ahead. “I liked it but it’s expensive, and I wasn’t sure I’d be any good at it. A kiln costs about $6,000 so I put it on the back burner for a while and kept doing my woodworking.”

A few years later, she decided to set up a slab, wheel, and kiln. She secured a small business loan and decided to go ahead and try her talents. “I’m still no good with a wheel,” she says with a laugh. Harrison hand builds her clay pieces, molding interesting shapes into small dishes, trays, and platters. Her Mississippi-shaped pieces are some of her most popular sellers, along with any pieces imprinted with collegiate emblems.

In a short time, Harrison has developed her own style and signature glazes that set her work apart. She plays with color mixtures to yield earth tones and cool blues that blend much like an artist’s palette. Another past pursuit, using a decal machine, gave her an idea that clients love about her pottery.

“I was lying in bed one night wondering if a vinyl letter would stick to clay enough that I could paint over it and peel it off. I literally got out of bed and tried it,” she remembers.

Not only did the idea work, but the practice led her to using dry wood blocks to imprint and stamp the clay with patterns and textures. She employs this technique on the outer bands of select bowls and platters.

Still learning, Harrison’s critical eye keeps her humble about her talents. “When it came to firing and glazing, I knew I didn’t know what I was doing,” she says.

She explains that making pottery involves a three-tofour-step process and a couple of weeks to complete a custom piece. And the learning curve hasn’t been without loss or setbacks. She and her husband built her enclosed studio from an existing open metal building located on the property. The kiln is located in a large barn just across the yard.

“I was making about 20 million trips back and forth, carrying the pottery,” she says. “We tried putting it all on a cart and pushing it over the ground and it all broke! It’s pretty fragile prior to being fired.”

Because many of her pieces are for the kitchen, Harrison worked until she could produce food-safe pottery.

She continually plays with the glazes and colors. “Glaze is very temperamental,” she explains. Several pieces, that she views as less than successful, sit in her studio. To the casual observer, the pieces appear just as beautiful as those in the shops, but not to her discriminating eye.

“I have an expectation of what the colors will look like. When a piece comes out flat or too dark or different, it’s not what I had in mind,” Harrison says. Her pieces also mix different materials as she incorporates small pottery pieces like a bird or cross onto wood.

Where does the dog come in? Everywhere. Her buddy, Muddy Mae, follows her around with the other Australian Shepherds living with the family. Living on a farm deemed Dusty Dog Ridge, Harrison had no doubts about what to name her business.

“I got Mae two days before my dad died and she got me through some tough stuff.” Mae even gets to leave her mark on each piece. “Every piece has the small imprinted paw print on the back of it.” An animal lover, Harrison donates a portion of her proceeds to local shelters and rescue groups.

Muddy Mae Pottery can be found on Facebook and Etsy as well as in local retail shops, including these in Mississippi: Miller’s Station, Senatobia; Cynthia’s Boutique, Hernando; Crossroads, Olive Branch; and Sugar Magnolia, Oxford. Harrison accepts occasional wholesale orders and creates signature custom pieces for businesses and individuals.

For information, send her an email at muddymaepottery@gmail.com.

Karen Ott-Mayer is a freelance writer based in Como, Mississippi.

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exploring books | SOUTHERN SPLENDOR

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Southern Splendor: Saving Architectural Treasures of the Old South Authors: Marc R. Matrana, Michael W. Kitchens, Robin S. Lattimore Publisher: University Press of Mississippi Copyright: 2018 Suggested Retail Price: $40

Saving Architectural Treasures

By Cheré Coen Photography courtesy of University Press of Mississippi

Since the 19th century, the South has played a leading role in the historic preservation movement in this country. A new book celebrates restoration and preservation success stories throughout the South.

Robin S. Lattimore teaches high school history in North Carolina and has long been a fan of historians Michael W. Kitchens and Marc R. Matrana. When Lattimore contacted them to express how much he enjoyed their books, they returned the compliment.

“We are all independent historians,” Lattimore explains. “Because of that we were familiar with each other’s works. We collected each other’s books.”

The trio eventually collaborated on a book that spotlighted the architectural beauty of Southern plantations, with Lattimore covering the “Upper South” of the Carolinas, Virginia and north Georgia and Matrana tackling Louisiana and Mississippi. But that left a hole in the middle. Kitchen’s work filled in the gap, when he wrote about homes in Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky.

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The result is the gorgeous coffee table book “Southern Splendor: Saving Architectural Treasures of the Old South,” published by the University Press of Mississippi.

“We struck up a friendship that turned into a collaboration,” Lattimore says.

Highlighting what remains

In 1860, at the height of the antebellum South, there were approximately 46,000 plantations, buildings that ranged from magnificent structures to modest homes. Most, however, sported clear evidence of the owner’s wealth and social standing.

Today, there are fewer than 6,000 antebellum homes remaining in the South.

There are many reasons for the decline of these homes, Lattimore says, including damage in the Civil War, failure to pay taxes and upkeep after the war’s conclusion, the poverty and neglect of the owners, and the plantations’ isolation from cities and commerce.

“Some people in the South walked away and wanted something else,” he explains.

The types of Southern plantations differed greatly from Virginia to Texas, from Kentucky to the Gulf Coast. Lattimore loves the High Style, Greek Revival architecture of Middle Tennessee, with “the classic red brick and white columns.” But he’s equally fascinated by the River Road plantations outside of New Orleans with their Creole architecture.

Homes in the Carolinas and Virginia date back to early colonial times, offering Federal and Georgian architecture; some of the Mississippi plantations, such as the Hollywood Plantation near Greenville, have unique stories and have been used in film and television.

“There’s something for everyone,” he said.

The authors examined 1,000 Southern homes for this tome, eliminating those they deemed not as architectural significant or had already received adequate attention. The book includes plantations with interesting back stories, those popular with the individual authors, and “properties that don’t get exposure or haven’t been written about,” he says.

Examples include the enormous and elegant Houmas House in Louisiana as well as Louisiana’s Laura and Whitney plantations, which tell stories from slaves’ perspectives.

Mississippi sites range from Natchez’s Ellicott Hill where the American flag was first raised when the U.S. took possession

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of Spanish lands at Natchez and east of the Mississippi to Beauvoir in Biloxi, the final home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis.

The book is divided into state sections, with a history of each house complemented by 275 photographs from Jacques Levet Jr., Danny Bourque and Lesley Bush, among others. The authors included archival information and owners’ histories, the latter giving “a wonderful voice to the property,” Lattimore said.

Promoting preservation

The authors compiled “Southern Splendor” to share Southern architecture with a broader audience, believing that grand plantations remain a Southern icon. They do recognize, however, the feelings these homes conjure, a representation of an economy based on slavery.

“As cultural historians, we are aware that these houses sit in a complex social web,” Lattimore says. “I think it’s important to have interpretation of the slavery component, but I also think it’s important to talk about the owners.”

African Americans were also instrumental in creating these homes.

“The goal of the book is to celebrate restoration and preservation success stories accomplished by a diverse group of individuals, heritage organizations, foundations, and corporations, and to inspire similar projects in the future,” the authors write in the book’s final notes. “It has also been the goal of each author to highlight and celebrate the collective contributions of both white and black Southerners to the architectural history of the region in relation to its plantation heritage.”

Above all, the authors hope the book inspires further preservation of historic Southern homes. Otherwise, Lattimore believes, significant properties will be lost.

Cheré Coen is a travel and food writer living in south Louisiana. She is also the author of the Viola Valentine Mystery Series under the pen name of Cherie Claire.

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southern roots | ATTRACTING BIRDS

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Going for the Birds

By Karon Warren | Photography Courtesy of Wild Birds Unlimited

Attracting beneficial birds to your yard provides many benefits as well as personal enjoyment.

On a warm spring day, nothing is more relaxing than sitting in a rocking chair as a light breeze blows through your hair, the air filled with the sound of birds chirping and singing.

In fact, it can be quite fun to watch as various birds flit about the trees, building nests and chatting with one another. However, these birds provide much more to your yard than a whimsical attraction. In fact, they go a long way in keeping your yard healthy.

A Natural Defense

On the surface, it doesn’t appear that birds are actively fighting for the benefit of your yard, but it’s amazing what these creatures actually do.

“They are critical in keeping down our insects, for pollination and a lot of the birds will eat the seeds from the weeds so it helps with weed control,” says Sandra Ehrlichman, who, along with her husband, Dave, owns Wild Birds Unlimited of Southaven in Southaven, Mississippi.

When it comes to which birds are the most beneficial for your backyard, that list is quite long. Think everything from orioles, sparrows, nuthatches, bluebirds, finches and wrens to cardinals, chickadees, hummingbirds and brown thrashers, just to name a few. As a result, attracting beneficial birds to your backyard is easier than you may think given there is such a wide array of birds that fit the bill.

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Setting the Stage

To bring beneficial birds to your backyard, start by planting native plants these birds love. These include, but are not limited to, butterfly bushes, black-eyed Susans, asters, coneflowers, azaleas, American holly, crepe myrtles, lantana and magnolia trees. According to Ehrlichman, certain trees like arborvitae also attract beneficial birds.

“The birds love to get in there because they feel safe and love to perch in there,” she says. “My magnolia trees are full of birds, and they can eat the seeds after the flowers bloom.

There are just a ton of plants. They love to have places to perch and watch the feeders.”

Birdbaths also are great attractions for beneficial birds.

Like other animals, they need water not only for hydration, but also for bathing. Plus, just as humans do, they enjoy splashing and playing in the water. However, installing a birdbath and filling it with water is not enough to keep birds coming to your yard.

“It’s important to clean it on a regular basis,” Ehrlichman says. “As soon as it starts to get any green in it, you want to clean it out.”

She recommends using a scrub brush to clean it. Rinse using your water hose and then refill it. In the summer, you may need to clean a birdbath every two to three days.

Birdhouses and Feeders

Of course, birds also like birdhouses, but it’s important to note that not every bird likes every birdhouse.

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“There are different houses for the different types of birds,” Ehrlichman says. “Some birds, like bluebirds, are particular about the size of the hole on their birdhouse. They want an inch and a half. Wrens and chickadees will use a little smaller hole. They’re not so particular. Cardinals like an L-shaped house with just a little bit of a roof. They want an open-type of box.”

Bird feeders are a key attraction for bringing beneficial birds into your yard. But, like houses, not all birds like all feeders.

“I recommend different types of feeders and houses to attract a variety of birds,” Ehrlichman says.

She recommends placing feeders at different heights facing in different directions. For instance, bluebirds want feeders at least five feet off the ground.

A Varied Menu

Not surprisingly, different birds like different foods, so filling all of your feeders with the same type of feed will not do well in attracting a variety of birds. For instance, chickadees and woodpeckers prefer shelled peanuts instead of regular birdseed.

In addition, the bird feed found at most big box stores does not contain a mix that beneficial birds want. Those feeds generally have a lot of fillers, so birds spend a lot of time – and make a mess – searching for the seeds they do like.

Instead, Ehrlichman recommends purchasing feeds without fillers like those available at her store. Also, it’s possible

to make your own blend of bird feed; there are many recipes available online. For instance, “The Old Farmer’s Almanac” contains homemade bird food recipes on its website at almanac.com/content/ homemade-bird-food-recipes#.

Like birdbaths, it’s important to clean out birdfeeders on a regular basis.

Ehrlichman suggests using a bottlebrush to swipe and clean the feeder each time you go to refill it.

When you start actively trying to attract beneficial birds to your yard, Ehrlichman has one piece of advice: Be patient, especially if you are just starting out.

“Birds I liken to children,” she says. “When you put something out they’ve never seen before, they’re going to be like, ‘OK, let’s see who’s going to be first.’

Somebody will find it.”

A graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi, Karon Warren is a freelance writer based in Ellijay. Georgia.

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table talk | ROOTS AND REVELRY

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Chef Brandon Cain

Roots and Revelry Dining Room

Soaring to New Flavors

By Verna Gates | Photography courtesy of Roots and Revelry

After sitting vacant for 40 years, the Thomas Jefferson Tower in Birmingham reopened with its 1920s glamour restored along with a hip new restaurant that reflects the city’s cultural roots.

When your restaurant sits below the world’s only remaining Zeppelin mooring tower, taking life too seriously just doesn’t fly. Roots and Revelry Restaurant walks the line between the roaring 1920s glam of the old Thomas Jefferson Hotel and the hip new TJ Tower, filled with apartments and shops for hipsters.

This is one restaurant that began with the building.

The old Thomas Jefferson had stood vacant, towering over downtown Birmingham, for nearly 40 years. The story was different when the building opened in 1929, and it was ready to receive dirigibles filled with tourists anxious to cross white marble floors in tuxedos and gowns to dance in the elaborate ballroom.

However, the dirigibles – once considered the transportation of the future – didn’t pan out, but the elegant hotel still thrived

with unmatched amenities and entertainment.

Presidents Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover both roomed at the hotel, as did singer Ray Charles and legendary coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide, Paul Bear Bryant. The economic downturn of the 1970s forced changes including a new name. After suffering two major fires in the early 80s and a continual decline in business, the hotel shut its doors for good in May 1983. In 2017, it reopened and breathed again, pulsing with new life.

When Brian Beshara completed a nine-year pro basketball career with the Lebanese national team, the 6-foot, 8-inch Texan returned to his college roots in New Orleans. He soon saw real estate as his new hoop dream. He and his brother were looking for historic properties to invest in and found the DeSoto 37

Fresh Gulf shrimp are just a few of the dishes from the nearby sea

Birmingham icon. They restored the fancy plaster ceilings and trim, polished up the marble, and turned it into a popular place to live and dine.

“I had flirted for years with starting a restaurant. I had more than 200 names for places to open, but had never pulled the trigger until we restored TJ Tower,” Beshara said.

Roots and Revelry stuck, with the nickname R & R. Roots dates back to the historic setting and the hotel’s importance in early boomtown Birmingham. Revelry brings a touch of his New Orleans years, with a sense of celebration.

In Birmingham, Beshara met Brandon Cain, a chef who already owned interests in two restaurants in the newly restored Avondale entertainment district in east Birmingham.

Brandon quickly signed on as chef and co-owner of R & R. While his other restaurants are casual, one serving pizza and the other barbecue, Cain was ready for the white tablecloth experience. However, in this case, it’s white marble table tops.

A displaced Californian, Cain has combined all of his roots in Birmingham, from West Coast cuisine, Southern favorites to the Filipino food he grew up eating. His mother died from cancer when he was three, and his “100 percent white guy” Dad soldiered on, cooking her homeland favorites for his children. The Inhow Pork, a summer favorite with rice, fresh tomatoes and vinegar sauce, connects him to the mother he lost.

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“This dish keeps her memory alive for me. All of the food we serve is my love letter to the food of the past or the future,” Cain said.

Many of the dishes play on humble beginnings. The Filipino Street Noodles (Pancit) are “our spaghetti,” a comfort food ramped up into fine cuisine.

The humblest dish of all has morphed into his most popular plate. The PB & J takes the elementary school sandwich and ups the game with cashew butter, quince, crispy pork belly and country bread. The surprise success came from “the worst dish of my life,” served in another restaurant.

Obsessed with the failed PBJ, which he hated as a kid, he stayed up until 3 a.m., writing ways to make it better. When it was first introduced, people on social media attacked Cain, but soon became believers.

“It was pure defiance. And it has become our signature dish. It was pure fun putting it out there, risky, but fun. We want our food to be crave-able,” said Cain.

Before opening his own restaurants, Cain worked in a seafood restaurant, which gave him experience with the wide variety of fresh Gulf fish and shellfish coming into the nearby ports. His scallops shine with butternut squash, sage risotto and red wine. Grouper and snapper fill the menu when in season.

Beshara’s roots also take the stage with a hummus dip

Both Brian Beshara and Brandon Cain, co-owners and friends, both became new dads after the restaurant opened.

It’s not your mom’s PB & J! An old favorite modified deliciously

honoring his Lebanese grandfather. His beloved New Orleans gets a nod with a new Macadamia Beignets served with raspberry crème.

One rule always prevails: fresh. Cain says his plates resemble a Jackson Pollock painting with color scattered across the prettily arranged food. The seafood is straight from the sea, and the veggies right out of the dirt.

The menu crosses time, nations, ethnic groups and styles: it fits Birmingham, founded as an industrial immigrant town with people from Europe, the Middle East and the East. At its founding, more than 35 languages were spoken in a neighborhood near the TJ Tower. A true melting pot, this Southern city is the perfect place for a restaurant that resists labeling or sticking with one inspiration.

The old Jefferson tower is once again entertaining people from all walks of life in its elegant setting, with food that reflects the roots and revelry of different backgrounds coming together to enjoy a culture that unites everyone.

The PB&J

“It was pure defiance. And it has become our signature dish.

It was pure fun putting it out there, risky, but fun.

We want our food to be crave-able.” Chef Brandon Cain Verna Gates is a Birmingham-based freelance writer. She received a First Place Travel Writing Award in 2018 from the National Federation of Press Women. She formerly worked for Reuters, TIME and CNN.

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exploring destinations | THE ROOST

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A Heavenly Abode

By Deborah Burst | Photography by Christy Laird Ryan

The skillful renovation of The Roost Hotel boasts the property’s coastal flair and the artistic vibes of Walter Anderson.

Ocean Springs, Mississippi, hosts a heaping helping of small-town charm filled with friendly folk, farmers, and artists selling their wares in downtown parks.

Walking distance to the ocean and a mecca for naturalists, the town celebrates its native son, Walter Anderson, and the Anderson family inside the Walter Anderson Museum of Art and Shearwater Pottery. Stroll along the oak-canopied neighborhoods, from the delightful downtown shops to a gallery of historic architecture along Porter Avenue. It is there

The Roost Boutique Hotel commands a second look.

The property took roots in 1894 when E.E. Clement built what was touted as, “a fine residence on Porter Avenue, a summer house in the branches of his giant oaks.” Through the years the property has changed hands, from a home to a hotel to a popular restaurant.

Today, it is a divine renovation orchestrated by Roxy Condrey, her husband, Ted Condrey, and partners Adam Dial, Joe Cloyd and Jessica Cloyd. Next door, the adjacent Eat Drink DeSoto 41

Love restaurant and The Wilbur bar adds to the ambiance as people gather at the bar and dine outside in an open multilayered patio.

A partnership of the past, present and future, the skillful renovation boasts the property’s coastal flair. Eleven luxurious rooms, some with full kitchens, are dressed in an opulent beach décor. The ground floor harkens back to the original hotel while the second floor hosts five suites with a wide veranda inviting guests to mingle. Every detail from the chic chandeliers to the original woodwork shares the artistic vibes of Walter Anderson.

The boutique hotel, which opened in 2016, gained its name during construction; the group was standing on the second floor gazing out at the treetops. Someone commented birds roost high in the trees when they sleep at night. And so it came to be The Roost. Condrey admitted it was a perfect fit with its connection to nature and sleep.

Much emphasis went into preserving the original wood and staying true to the property’s ambiance. The reclaimed wood offers a fashionable wall in every suite as well as the craft cocktail bar next door.

“We took careful attention in achieving a harmonious design,” Condrey says adding each partner was involved at different levels. “We brought all of our individual skill sets together to create The Roost.”

Much work went into subtle but overarching themes that celebrate the spirit of Walter Anderson. Condrey was most excited when the family allowed them to use Anderson’s unique art throughout the hotel.

“The family has been an awesome partner the entire 42 DeSoto

time for The Roost,” says Condrey. “They also allowed us to have prints on loan in the lobby.”

Bay-town luxury at its best, each room is in concert with the town’s unique persona, coastal elements such as fan coral in the Monarch Suite and a pirogue suspended from the ceiling in the Oyster Suite.

“Our partners actually owned this boat,” Condrey says noting it was the same type of boat that Anderson used to explore the Barrier Islands. “We all wanted to incorporate it into the design and the Oyster Suite with the vaulted ceilings was perfect.”

The Islander Suite is wheelchair accessible with a delightful twist in the bedroom décor. Against a tangerine colored wall is a headboard courtesy of an old church from the Carolina’s and at the foot of the bed, a Mongolian fur bench.

“I love mixing styles that work together but staying true to the overall concept of highlighting the art, culture and history,” explains Condrey. “But all the furnishings were carefully selected to work with the original accent walls.”

Upstairs, the open format works as both an art gallery and a social space. Rocking chairs bring a nostalgic flair as many guests enjoy gazing out at the trees.

“We have often gone upstairs in the morning to find the rocking chairs moved around and the stools all set in circles around the tables,” says Condrey. “Evidence of strangers turned friends that gathered for impromptu storytelling over cocktails.”

Much like the hotel’s namesake where birds flock together, in this case it’s complete strangers. Two couples who met when they checked in for a three-day stay, both had upstairs

rooms in the veranda. They ran into each other while dining and decided to share a table.

“The next morning, I found the ladies upstairs in their pajamas, slippers on, curlers in their hair, drinking coffee,” Condrey says with a smile. “These ladies, both of whom were retired, along with their husbands, became instant friends, and have since come back to The Roost to visit with each other again.”

The Roost brings people together from all walks of life. Guests can order dine-in romantic dinners from the adjacent restaurant, or join locals under the oaks serenaded by musicians. Toast new friendships and a perfect ending for a perfect stay at The Wilbur bar, and be sure to ask about the hidden room behind the swinging bookcase. roostoceansprings.com

Author, speaker and award-winning freelance writer/photographer, Deborah Burst is a New Orleans native who lives in the piney woods of Mandeville. She has written five books featuring Southern travel.

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on the road again | CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA

, n o t s e l Chatrh Carolina Sou

A DAY IN THE HOLY CITY

8:30 Enjoy an authentic Southern breakfast at Millers All Day, which mills its own grits onsite in a 173-year-old restored mill. Co-owned by Greg Johnsman of Geechie Boy Mill, this breakfast-all-day place is known for signature dishes like a daily rotating grit bowl, fried chicken biscuit, and the Millers Plate.

10:00 Charleston is a walking city and while you can see many sites on your own, the most efficient way to learn about the city is with a guide from Bull Dog Tours. Voted the best Charleston walking tour company for eight consecutive years, Bull Dog has exclusive access to some sites, including the Old City Jail and Provost Dungeon. Choose from historic walking tours, food tours, and ghost tours.

12:10 Known as the “Holy City” because of its many churches, Charleston is a great place to take a meditative moment. St. Michaels Church offers a short mid-day prayer for visitors and parishioners on weekdays. The large, long double-pew in the center of the church – known as the Governor’s Pew – is where President George Washington sat on May 8, 1791. General Robert E. Lee also worshipped in the pew some 70 years later. Be sure to peek at the Tiffany stained glass windows.

12:45 Head over to Meeting Street for lunch at Jestine’s Kitchen, where you’ll find “Southern food with lots of soul.” Start with fried green tomatoes or corn fritters, then choose a tasty po’ boy or a meat-and-two plate. Save room for the world-famous Cola Cake, a decadent chocolate dessert beloved by Charlestonians and visitors. You’ll love this cake so much that you’ll want to ship one home – which Jestine’s Kitchen will do for you.

2:00 Shop for clothing and antiques in the shops along King Street. Local artisans offer their wares, including the iconic sweet grass baskets, at the historic Charleston City Market on Meeting Street. If shopping isn’t your thing, make your way along “Museum Mile,” also on Meeting Street. In addition to the Charleston Museum, you’ll also find the Children’s Museum of the Low Country and the Gibbes Museum of Art. 5:00 Grab a highly coveted seat at The Darling Oyster Bar’s on King Street for oysters and cocktails.

Watch the shuckers serve up a medley of local and east coast oysters. Try the oyster shooter, too. Sip on signature cocktails like the Fish House Punch and Basil Daisy.

7:00 Charleston is known for its fine dining, and one of the hottest places is Circa 1886, headed by South Carolina Chef Ambassador for 2019 Marc Collins. Tucked within the original carriage house of the Wentworth Mansion, Circa 1886 evokes the romance and old-world charm of the historic downtown. In addition to seasonal offerings, Chef Collins puts his own spin on low-country favorites, like shrimp-n-rice grits, Rainbow trout, and African peanut soup.

9:00 Enjoy a nightcap at the Citrus Club at The Dewberry Charleston. This new hot spot is one of the best rooftop bars in town overlooking Marion Square and downtown Charleston. Reservations are required.

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To plan your visit:

charlestoncvb.com millersallday.com bulldogtours.com jestineskitchen.com thecharlestoncitymarket.com thedarling.com circa1886.com thedewberrycharleston.com/citrus-club

Events:

Spring Garden Strolls and Wine Tasting May 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29 Sip and stroll in America’s oldest landscaped gardens while sampling wines from around the world.

49th Annual Charleston Greek Festival May 10-12 The Charleston Greek Festival is the oldest and third largest festival in Charleston attracting over 25,000 people. Become Greek for the weekend and enjoy Greek food, wine, live music, and dancing at the Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity Park.

Charleston Beer Fest May 18 More than 40 craft breweries from around North and South Carolina are expected at this one-day event at Riverfront Park in North Charleston.

Piccolo Spoleto May 24 – June 9 Focusing primarily on artists of the Southeast region, Piccolo Spoleto is the perfect complement to the international scope of Spoleto Festival USA, its parent festival.

Spoleto Festival USA May 24 – June 9 Since 1977, Spoleto Festival USA has presented or produced a vast array of performing arts events, including opera, dance, theatrical presentations, Shakespearean plays, and all genres of music.

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greater goods | GRADUATION

Graduation

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1. Men’s dopp kit, Cynthia’s Boutique, 2529 Caffey Street, Hernando, MS 2. Blessing braclets, Center Stage Fashions, 324 W Commerce Street, Hernando, MS 3. Kitsch Spa and Beauty products, Mimi’s on Main, 432 Main Street, Senatobia, MS 4. Self Care Packages, SoCo Apparel, 300 W Commerce Street, Hernando, MS 5. Key Rings, The Pink Zinnia, 134 West Commerce Street, Hernando, MS 6. Zep-Pro Men’s Collegiate sandals, Mimi’s on Main, 432 Main Street, Senatobia, MS 7. Men’s bag, SoCo Apparel, 300 W Commerce Street, Hernando, MS 8. Graduate picture frame, Bon Von, 214 W Center Street, Hernando, MS 9. Clear Backpacks, Paisley Pinapple, 6542 Goodman Road, Olive Branch, MS 10. Initial Cosmetic Bags, Ultimate Gifts, 3075 Goodman Road E, Southaven, MS 11. Vera Bradley backpacks, The Pink Zinnia, 134 West Commerce Street, Hernando, MS 12. Scooples Necklaces, The Wooden Door, 6542 Goodman Road, Olive Branch, MS 13. Haley Farris art, Goals journal & Desk planner, Merry Magnolia, 194 E Military Road, Marion, AR

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greater goods | MOTHER’S DAY

Mother’s Day

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1. Slippers, Center Stage Fashions, 324 W Commerce Street, Hernando, MS 2 Julie Vos jewelry, The Pink Zinnia, 134 West Commerce Street, Hernando, MS 3. Coffee cups, Commerce Street Market, 74 W Commerce St, Hernando, MS 4. Hand towels, Cynthia’s Boutique, 2529 Caffey Street, Hernando, MS 5. Farmhouse Fresh body products, Bon Von, 214 W Center Street, Hernando, MS 6. Ronaldo Rings, Ultimate Gifts, 3075 Goodman Road E, Southaven, MS 7. Valuspa candles, SoCo Apparel, 300 W Commerce Street, Hernando, MS 8. Ball cap, Bon Von, 214 W Center Street, Hernando, MS 9. Oyster Shell Jewelry Bowl, Paisley Pinapple, 6542 Goodman Road, Olive Branch, MS 10. Happy blocks, Merry Magnolia, 194 E Military Road, Marion, AR 11. PJ Harlow Pajamas, Upstairs Closet, 136 Norfleet Drive, Senatobia, MS DeSoto 47

Archi tectural Vision aries

By Mary Ann DeSantis Photography courtesy of Black Dog Salvage

Sometimes old buildings just can’t be saved, but the “Salvage Dawgs” have shown the world that architectural elements can find new homes and different purposes.

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Salvage Dawg’s Crew

The “salvage-inspired” Stone House

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Mike Whiteside and Robert Kulp, owners of Black Dog Salvage in Roanoke, Virginia, look at old buildings and see the beauty that others often overlook.

“We look at what something can be instead of what it was,” says Whiteside.

“Things that could be lost to dumpsters, we put a value on.”

The two Navy veterans met in 1999 when Whiteside needed a garage built and Kulp came to give him advice. They discovered they were kindred spirits as they lamented the pending demolition of a local 1892 landmark filled with architectural details. They decided to take a chance and make a salvage offer. They saved the house piece by piece, and their business was born.

“I had rented a warehouse for another project,” Whiteside remembers.

“We wrote ‘SALVAGE’ on an old sign and moments later, a customer pulled into the parking lot.”

They incorporated in 2000 as Black Dog Salvage, honoring Whiteside’s first black lab, Molly. The black dog succession included Sally, who served as the company’s mascot for 14 years. Before she passed away, Sally was instrumental in “training” her successors: Molly-May, a rescue lab from Mississippi, and Stella, a mixed breed owned

by Whiteside’s son, Tay, who has been a part of the Black Dog Salvage crew “since he was eye-to-eye with the first black dog.”

The business is a lot more than just finding parts in old buildings. Black Dog Salvage’s main location – a 44,000-squarefoot shop and warehouse near Grandin Village in Roanoke – features custom upcycled designs, salvage-inspired furniture and décor, custom paint developed by the team, and art from regional artists. It’s a must-see stop among tourists visiting the city, especially those who have watched “Salvage Dawgs” on the DIY Network. Fans from as far away as Ukraine and New Zealand have signed the guestbook.

The reality series, owned by Figure 8 Films & Trailblazer Studios, began in 2012 somewhat on a lark. The idea began as a dare from a friend on a fishing trip.

That friend happened to be a producer and founder for Figure 8 Films.

“We didn’t really think it would work… who wants to watch a bunch of guys salvage a building,” says Whiteside with a laugh.

But work it did. “Salvage Dawgs” entered its 10th season in April on the DIY DeSoto 51

Filming for the DIY Network show, “Salvage Dawgs.”

Mike & Robert of Black Dog Salvage. Photo courtesy of Tara Lilly Design + Photography

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Network. Episodes from Seasons 1-9 are available on Amazon, iTunes, and YouTube.

The show is a fast-paced, treasure hunt filled with humor and fun. The mission of the show – as well as Black Dog Salvage – is to reclaim, reuse, and repurpose architectural salvage for a sustainable future.

In the television series, the Salvage Dawg team carefully extracts architectural details from not only private homes and historical properties but also from old hospitals, churches, and dilapidated mills.

For example, the old Bemis Cotton Mill in Jackson, Tennessee, north of Memphis, yielded light fixtures, doors, and old sinks. The refinished sinks recently turned up in a commercial bathroom in Australia. In Decatur, Georgia, the crew picked through the Scott Boulevard Baptist Church before it was demolished. They removed marbled-stained-glass windows as well as a giant arch around the baptistry that could be used later as a grand entryway.

Columns and cast iron were salvaged from a crumbling storefront wall in downtown Vicksburg, Mississippi.

“The TV show is a billboard for what we do daily at Black Dog Salvage,” says Whiteside. In addition to filming at salvage locations, the show also features a do-it-yourself segment (or ‘show build’) on how to make something from items that normally would have been discarded.

“Architecture is spread throughout the spectrum of a building. Even an old mill or prison may have useable fixtures or trims,” Whiteside explains. “Old schools from the turn-of-the-century often yield arches, period plumbing, and lighting. You have to look at everything differently. A door can be a table, a headboard, or a piece of furniture.”

One of their most unusual salvage jobs, says Whiteside, was taking apart Geyser Gulch in Silver Dollar City near Branson, Missouri. “That was fun stuff and great TV,” he says with a laugh. Indeed, the crew became kids again with water cannon fights and trying to remove 1,000-pound “frying pans” hanging from towers.

“It’s always a reach to figure out who will want this kind of stuff,” Kulp said during the show which aired in 2015.

He believed some of the Geyser Gulch pieces would be great additions to a small children’s park.

Envisioning new purposes for salvaged materials drives the entire team.

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Piano Shelf

Repurposed Bemis Mill sinks

“We didn’t create the salvage wheel; we just jumped on it,” says Whiteside, who has been described as an ‘architectural visionary.’ He sees ways that pieces can be used as functional art as well as unusual décor items.

An example is a piano frame that became a wallhanging shelf. A salvage from a music store yielded a piano that couldn’t be repaired. “That was a show-build for one episode,” Whiteside explains. “Pianos were stacking up like cardboard out there and we were looking for ways to reuse.” Repurposing pianos can be labor intensive because every piece is built by hand.

The wall-hanging piano shelf is now a focal point in The Stone House, which was a labor of love for the Black Dog Salvage team over the last several years. The house – built in 1911 – is next door to the Roanoke warehouse and store.

“We bought a city block and the house came with it,” Whiteside says. “It’s been a project near and dear to our hearts.”

The house showcases a “salvage-inspired lifestyle” with products sourced from Black Dog Salvage. Originally built

by Italian stonemason Michael Grosso and his son, the home has been fully renovated and serves as the ultimate showroom.

Several of the custom-built pieces inside the home were featured in Season 9 of “Salvage Dawgs.” The original architecture has been preserved throughout the home, which is available as a vacation rental through Airbnb and VRBO.

Fabricating pieces from salvage yard items is what the team does best, according to Whiteside. “We open the doors to people who are looking for something different.”

He adds that Black Dog Salvage is more about sales than renovation. They sell to people who are doing the renovations and restorations although Kulp does use salvaged items as much as he can in his own construction business, which is separate from Black Dog Salvage.

The online marketplace for Black Dog Salvage offers a variety of eclectic items for sale. Shopping by episode is also

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The Real Black Dogs

possible. Those 6-foot tall frying pans from Geyser Gulch are still available for $575 each as well as a rolling factory door from the Bemis Mill for $1,200.

Whiteside is fond of saying, “Everything at Black Dog Salvage is for sale… except the dogs.”

Blackdogsalvage.com

A native of Laurel, Mississippi, Mary Ann DeSantis serves as managing editor of DeSoto Magazine.

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BREATHING NEW LIFE ACROSS THE HIGHWAY

By Karen Ott Mayer Photography courtesy of Karen Ott Mayer and arkansas.com

Little Rock’s SoMa district represents the best in collective revitalization where visionary entrepreneurs have created a new sense of community.

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The name SoMa may ring short but the region dubbed South Main of Little Rock, Arkansas, runs long on eccentricity, fun, and tenacious personality. Walking the half-dozen block district, it’s not uncommon to encounter a large stuffed cornbread skillet with a big smile or gather Mardi Gras beads during certain times of the year.

SoMa ranks high on many destination lists any time of the year. While the district itself is highly walkable, other interesting sites like Heifer International and The Capitol Hotel anchor the area within driving distance. The literary magazine, The Oxford American, also calls SoMa home.

Filled with breweries, restaurants and shops, SoMa represents the best in collective revitalization and visionary entrepreneurs willing to build originality together. Tucked in between the shops, it’s common to find interesting sculpture and art on the streets. A thriving district from the 1920s and into the 1950s, South Main literally got left behind with the construction of Interstate 630 that divided Little Rock into north and south sections. As businesses dwindled on the south side of Main, few ventured “across the freeway”.

Anita Davis, owner of the Esse Purse Museum, conceived The Bernice Garden in 2006, creating one of the early forces for revitalization. Today, the area south of Interstate 630 from 12th to 19th Streets is attracting new, vibrant businesses dedicated to a particular lifestyle and community.

AFTERNOON DELIGHT

My husband and I began our afternoon in SoMa at Lost Forty Brewing, where we climbed on stools facing a wall of windows overlooking the brewery itself.

With nearly a dozen breweries spread out across Little Rock, anyone hoping to indulge in craft beers won’t lack for options.

We chose a flight of four beers starting with the Love Honey Bock made with Arkansas honey, then moved to the Easy Tiger Mexican Lager which won the 2017 Silver Medal at the Great American Beer Festival Competition. Lost Forty cranks out 12,000 barrels of craft beer each year which may have only one on-site rival: the sorghum black pepper pecans. A signature snack at the brewery, which has a full menu as well, the irresistible pecans may put you over the edge long before the beer.

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Aptly named, The Green Corner Store can be found at the corner of Main Street and 16th Street and appears as quaint as it does practical. Those who gave up on walking sit comfortably on outdoor benches watching the world go by. Inside, the shelves are stocked with organic loose-leaf teas, soaps and gifts. Or, if you’re in need of a pick-me-up, you can indulge in a refreshing lemonade, hot tea or Loblolly ice cream.

Owner Shelly Green opened the business more than a decade ago.

“We were one of the first businesses to open,” she says. She chooses products which fit her philosophy of peddling local, sustainable and organic products. Green enjoys SoMa and her neighbors. “We’re all unique, quirky independent stores.”

UNIQUE HISTORY ON SOMA

The Esse Purse Museum and Store serves more as a women’s history museum.

With both a display area and a shop, visitors can chat with the inspiration behind the museum and SoMa pioneer, Anita Davis.

“There’s over 100 years of women’s history here as we look at what women carried during certain time periods,” she explains. The collection opened in 2013 as a traveling exhibit in San Francisco, then Washington, and has since crossed the country. The permanent exhibit in SoMa displays purses from each decade beginning in the 1900s.

“Before then, wealthy women didn’t carry bags because they didn’t carry keys. They left them with their butlers.

During the suffragette movement, the common refrain became “Burn the bag!” explains Davis.

Displays hold everything from 1920s Bakelite bags to the preppy 1980s clutches. Esse also features temporary unrelated exhibits like the recent “Up in Smoke,” an exhibition of smoking and advertising paraphernalia. The Esse Purse Museum in SoMa is only one of three in the world. The other two are in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and Seoul, South Korea.

As for Davis, she began collecting mesh and chain purses, finding them at flea markets and antique malls. When her collection swelled to the thousands, she decided it was time to find more room.

Ironically, at that time the spunky, energetic collector committed to helping revitalize SoMa, which back then felt unwelcoming and unsafe. She bought a building to house DeSoto 61

her purse collection, eventually buying other properties and leading an urban renaissance.

On the other end of the street, Rock Town Distillery welcomes visitors for tastings and tours. Founder Phil Brandon opened the distillery in 2010, making it the first distillery in Arkansas to open since Prohibition.

With a previous career in the printing industry, he had one primary qualification for his new business. “I have a passion for whiskey,” he says with a smile. The small-batch whiskeys are made from corn, rye, wheat and barley, and the distillery also produces vodka, gin, rum, bourbon and moonshine. Rock Town Distillery’s Sorghum Whiskey was named one of the top 100 spirits of 2017 by Wine Enthusiast Magazine.

Despite his modesty, Brandon has served as a key voice in helping change the distilling and manufacturing laws, primarily one that now allows distilleries to sell by the bottle on site, seven days a week. Arkansas’ growth has been slow as a handful of other distilleries have opened, and Brandon cites existing legislation as one deterrent. Rock Town products are available for sale and by special order in 15 states across the country.

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SoMa works well as a Saturday afternoon outing or for a quick weekend getaway. An urban inspiration, SoMa proves a collection of creative minds can change the world, one block at a time. somalittlerock.com

“We’re all unique, quirky independent stores.”

Shelly Green Karen Ott-Mayer is a freelance writer based in Como, Mississippi.

Photo courtesy of Root Cafe

IF YOU GO: Breakfast at Root Cafe

Funky, fresh and fun.

Pancakes the size of a dinner plate.

Don’t let the small space or long line run you off. These folks move fast when fixing locally-sourced meals.

Sit and sit some more

The Bernice Garden in the middle of SoMa hosts the Farmers Market, weddings and events. But it’s the unusually cool tall wooden structure that feels like being under a jungle canopy that catches the eye.

A true garden with a variety of perennials and plantings, those with a green thumb will feel at home.

Sit. Wander. Drink coffee.

All is allowed.

Window shop...or shop

From beads to antique lamps, the local shops strive to offer the original. The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well behind each shop door.

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The American Dream

in a Catalog

By Andrea Brown Ross Photography by Thomas Toney (Panola County Historical and Genealogical Society), Andrea Brown Ross and searsarchives.com

Considered the Amazon of its day, Sears, Roebuck and Company offered customers a vast array of products in its popular catalogs, including kits to build houses.

Sears and Roebuck catalog home on Ward St.

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Humans have always been innovative when it comes to creating shelter. Today’s creative housing trends of barndominums, treehouses, and shipping containers rival our ancestors’ caves and sod homes. Homebuilding in the 20th century, however, has its own unique place in history, thanks to Sears and other mail order companies that provided kits to build homes. From 1908-1940, more than 70,000 homes were sold through the mail-order Sears Modern Homes program. Home buyers throughout the nation, including Mississippi, eagerly awaited the arrival of their new houses via railroad.

History

Sears, Roebuck and Company offered 447 design plans, ranging from elaborate, ornate homes to a simpler style, which offered an outhouse that could be purchased separately.

According to the Sears Archives, the company was not the innovator of these popular home designs. Rather, they were able to provide the materials and designs at an affordable price, with the most popular designs under $3,000.

Jimmy Still of Batesville, Mississippi, shares the affordable price of the Sears home referred to as the “Whitten House.” Named after the previous owner and neighbor of Still, he recalls the price of the Whitten House, for which he has a copy of its bill of sale.

“They built it in 1915 and it cost $646,” he shares.

Prior to that time, many families lived in multi-generational homes. As the trend for single family homes grew in popularity, Sears was just one of several businesses offering model kit homes.

Submitting original designs and blueprints was also an option for homebuyers. Sears would then send the appropriate home building materials for construction.

In 1911, Sears began offering home financing. With 25 percent required as a down payment for a house and lot (if applicable), low interest rates attracted many buyers. In addition, their loan application did not require demographic information, including the applicants’ finances. Subsequently, people who might not have been given the opportunity for financing at their local bank had a chance at home ownership.

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Whitten house on Church Street

Construction

The ability to mass produce building materials passed on a savings to the Sears buyer. Not only did pre-cut and fitted materials shrink construction time up to 40 percent, but the use of “balloon style” framing, drywall, and asphalt shingles greatly eased construction for homebuyers. This type of framing system did not require a team of skilled carpenters, as previous methods had. Family, friends, and neighbors would often pitch in to help construct a home. Balloon frames were built faster and generally only required one carpenter. Precut timber, fitted pieces, and the convenience of having everything, including the nails, shipped by railroad directly to the customer added greatly to the popularity of this framing style, according to the Sears Archives.

Considered modern conveniences at that time, electricity, indoor plumbing, and central heating were also available with several of the designs. Home buyers could request a myriad of design ideas to customize their homes, such as storm windows, brick rather than wood siding, and reversed floor plans.

Additionally, many homeowners preferred asphalt shingles, which were quieter than tin roofs and more fireproof than wood shingles. Minimizing the threat of open fires within homes was a serious consideration for homeowners as out-ofcontrol fires had destroyed homes and cities in that era.

For Cayce Starr’s family in Senatobia, Mississippi, the addition of a screened-in porch was a must for her great-great grandmother, Pearl Cayce Dinkins.

“My great-great grandfather, Edwin Dancy Dinkins, was practicing law in Charleston, Mississippi. Once he became judge, he planned to move his family to Senatobia. However, his wife refused to move unless they added a screened in porch to the house plan,” she shares.

Pearl got her porch, and the house has since passed down through members of Starr’s family. Starr’s mother as well as her aunt and uncle currently reside there.

Today

Sears homes can be found today in numerous locations across the U.S. with several on the National Register of Historic Places. Unfortunately, sales records of all the homes sold were destroyed in a corporate clean-up decades ago.

However, model home kit enthusiasts are continually searching and identifying these homes. Modifications and renovations can make identifying Sears homes tricky, especially since they were not the only model kit home business. Several homes are located throughout the South.

“I can remember seeing a stamp on the wall of the Whitten House identifying it as a Sears home,” recalls Still. “It has since been painted over.”

Today, the Whitten House is owned by the Batesville Presbyterian Church.

It is used to hold meetings and to make pottery as part of one of their ministries, according to Still.

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The largest bulk of surviving Sears model kit homes is located in Carlinville, Illinois. The Standard Oil Company spent approximately $1 million to construct 12 blocks of homes for its mineworkers in 1918.

For Starr, the Senatobia home is still very much a family affair.

“They remodeled in 2004 – 2005, and they did add on a little to the house.

I have another aunt that lives next door to them.”

With plenty of fun family stories through the years, her family’s home has been more than a house selected from a catalog. Its construction in 1918 offered more than just shelter; it has also provided treasured memories with many more to come. searsarchives.com/homes HOW TO IDENTIFY KIT HOMES

Considered the foremost authority on Sears Roebuck kit homes, Rosemary Thorton, who wrote “The Houses that Sears Built,” suggests the following tips to identify a possible mail-order kit home: • Look for stamped lumber on the exposed beams/joists/rafters in the basement, crawl space or attic.

• Inspect the back of millwork (moldings and trim) for shipping labels.

• Check the home’s floor plan, footprint (exterior dimensions) and room size, using a field guide to Sears Homes, such as “Finding the Houses That Sears Built” (2004, Gentle Beam Publications).

• Visit the courthouse and inspect old building permits and grantor records.

Inspect plumbing fixtures for marks, such as “R” or “SR”.

• Look for markings on back of sheet rock.

• Unique column arrangement on front porch and five-piece eave brackets.

• Square block on moldings at staircase landings, where moldings meet at odd angles.

• Verify the home’s construction date. To be a Sears-kit home, it had to have been built between 1908 to 1940.

Source: arts-crafts.com

Andrea Brown Ross is assistant editor of DeSoto Magazine. She resides in Como, Mississippi.

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homegrown | QUEEN’S REWARD

Scarlet Noir is a honey-grape mead.

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Jeri Carter is owner of Mississippi’s first meadery.

The Sweet Taste of Success

By Jackie Sheckler Finch Photography courtesy of Queen’s Reward Meadery

It’s only natural that Mississippi’s first meadery is in Tupelo, even if the honey is from elsewhere.

As owner of the only meadery in Mississippi, Jeri Carter hears the comment quite often. “Tupelo honey is mentioned every day,” she says with a laugh.

“I try to explain that, ‘Yes, we are in Tupelo,’ and ‘Yes, we make wine with honey.’ But the Tupelo honey in that song comes from Tupelo trees, and we don’t have those trees in a grove here,” she explains.

The popular 1971 Van Morrison song aside, how did

an elementary school teacher decide to open the state’s first honey wine producer?

“We started making wine at home years ago, just using kits,” Carter begins. “We were having fun, and our wine turned out pretty good. So, after two or three kits, we decided to make wine without the kits.”

The problem, Carter says, is that “we don’t have really good grapes in Mississippi. But we do have really good honey.”

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The tasting room has a honeybee décor.

At the time, Carter adds, “we didn’t even know what mead was. But we found some mead recipes and went to the grocery store and bought a bunch of honey.”

The resulting mead “was good but probably tasted closer to moonshine than mead. I didn’t know if our mead really was good, or if we just thought that because it was ours. Sort of like ‘My kid is the cutest kid in the program.’ Is he really or is it just because he is my kid?”

Hoping to discover what mead experts thought, the Carters entered their mead in a New Hampshire Mead Festival competition. “We wound up winning two awards,” Carter says. “That is what gave us the courage to decide to do this.”

What the Carters did was open Queen’s Reward Meadery in May 2018.

Since then, it has been a sweet full speed ahead.

“Our plan was that I would continue teaching, and I would do this on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights,” Carter says. “My husband has his own business, but we quickly learned that the meadery is a fulltime job. So, after 14 years, I quit teaching.”

And Tupelo is delighted to have its own meadery. “Visitors and citizens alike are always looking for unique experiences. Queen’s Reward Meadery offers just that in their beautiful tasting room,” says Jennie Bradford Curlee, Public Relations director for the Tupelo Convention & Visitors Bureau.

“People visit the meadery intrigued by something new and leave as fans who will return often,” Curlee says. “Queen’s Reward is one of a kind, and we couldn’t be prouder to have the state’s first meadery in Tupelo.”

Although mead is new to Mississippi, it is the oldest alcoholic beverage known to civilization, predating even the invention of the wheel. “The history of mead is so cool,” Carter says. “Mead has been around forever because it occurs in nature without any human intervention.”

What happens, Carter explains, is that sometimes bees will abandon a bee hive, the sun will melt the wax and fill the hive with honey. Then rain water will get in the hive and the natural yeast in the air will combine to ferment the honey and water to make honey wine.

“The early hunter/gatherers would discover it and drink it. Not only did it taste good, it made them feel very good,” Carter says. “The only explanation they 72 DeSoto

The bottling line is busy at work.

had was that the gods had left them a gift. They didn’t understand the fermentation process. They just thought it was magic.”

Even the word “honeymoon” stems from mead. In medieval times, a bride’s dowry included a month’s supply of mead to be drunk for the first full moon cycle after a marriage. “Mead was thought to increase fertility and increase the odds of having a boy,” Carter says.

At their Tupelo production facility and tasting room, the Carters use hundreds of pounds of local Mississippi honey per tank to make one batch, aging for four to six weeks. “We can add other ingredients to the base of water, honey and yeast to enhance the flavor,” she says.

For example, Queen’s Reward Pucker Up has lemon added. Ruby has cranberry, Scarlet Noir is mead with pinot noir grape juice imported from California, and Delta Gold adds Riesling grapes. “Right now, we’re working on a mead with blackberries added,” Carter says.

Located on McCullough Boulevard, Queen’s Reward décor features a bee motif. Lighting fixtures have a honeycomb design, tables and chairs are decorated with the meadery’s logo and tiles on the counter resemble dripping honey. The meadery has both indoor and outdoor seating and a huge grassy lawn for outdoor games. “Since we’re a tasting room and not a bar, children are welcome,” Carter says.

Although she “never in a million years” thought she would be owning and operating a meadery, Carter says she feels blessed to have Queens Reward.

“I have met so many interesting people. All ages, all kinds of people are coming here, some of them from international countries,” Carter says. “This is exactly what I had envisioned – a place where everyone is welcome, where we can share our mead.” queensreward.com An award-winning journalist, Jackie Sheckler Finch loves to take to the road to see what lies beyond the next bend.

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southern gentleman | CAMPING 101

Camping:

Everything You Need to Know Story and photography by Jason Frye

Never camped out before? No problem. Let a former Eagle Scout guide your through the basics – including how to start a fire with dryer lint and Doritos.

The azaleas have bloomed and another Masters’ Golf Tournament is in the books; here in the South that means spring has arrived. It is prime time to be outside, so grab your hiking boots, ice down the cooler, and throw the tent in the car because it’s time to go camping.

Oh, wait, you might not have camped before, or maybe you’ve only camped in the backyard, or maybe you’ve only camped in the living room pillow fort. No matter, I’m an Eagle Scout and I’m here to help. Welcome to Camping 101.

Camping comes in many forms, from backpacking expeditions where you carry everything on your back to glamping in a tricked-out Airstream complete with WIFI so you can Instagram those s’mores you’re making. Let’s look at something in 74 DeSoto

the middle: car camping at a drive-in campsite. That’s a great jumping off point as you’ll need very little equipment to get started, and the options for exceptional campsites are many (Great Smoky Mountains National Park comes to mind, as do a dozen or more state parks and an equal number of national forests across the South).

Drive-in campsites have a number of advantages over their hike-in brethren, namely your car. When a wind storm whips through camp in the middle of the night, simply retreat to the car and pretend you’re in the Twister sequel. Rabid dog?

Grab your keys and hide in the car a la “Cujo.” Hear Dueling Banjos playing and wonder if you’re about to have a “Deliverance” experience even though no one in your party looks as

suave as Burt Reynolds circa 1972, and you can drive away.

Plus, your car can be a big bear-proof (provided you lock it, bears are scary smart) lockbox for food and unneeded gear.

When car camping, you’ll need a tent and ground cloth or tarp, a sleeping pad and sleeping bag, water and other beverages, fire starting material, a flashlight or headlamp, camp chairs, and bug spray (always bug spray, it’s the South… you’ve been outside). Optional items include a hatchet, Yeti cooler (really, who would camp without a $500 cooler?), swimsuit, kayaks and/or bikes, shower gear, et cetera. Your setup depends a bit on where you’re going and what you’re doing, so I’ll focus on the basics: shelter, fire, water, food.

Most drive-in campsites have fire rings, grills, picnic tables, a level spot for your tent, and a camp store with firewood, snacks, and sundries. They are close to trailheads, lakes or rivers, and there are people around who can help you set up your tent after they’ve given you an embarrassingly long time to do it yourself.

You need a tent. It doesn’t have to be an expensive, low-weight, tough-as-nails tent like you’d use on a trek to Everest Basecamp. A Coleman tent from Target or a decent Kelty model from your local outdoor shop will work just fine. It does need a ground cloth (the thing that keeps dew and the damp ground from soaking through the floor of the tent) and good ventilation. Practice with your tent – set it up in the backyard, take it down, do it again and again until you know how to do it – so you can get camp-established quickly and easily.

Most campsites sell firewood (check and bring your own if necessary) but not fire-starting kits. I could walk you through making a firestarter out of dryer lint, newspaper, twine

and paraffin wax, but who am I, Bear Grylls? Instead, let’s make an easy one. Bring a week’s worth of lint and some hand sanitizer with you, make a little cup of lint and place it on a bed of twigs, squirt a little hand sanitizer on it and light. Voila, fire.

Now feed it larger sticks until it’s big enough for larger logs and you’re done.

For water, bring plenty. This isn’t expedition-level backpacking and most every campsite has potable water if you didn’t bring enough, so you should be fine. If not, outdoor stores sell purifying pumps and filters, UV light sticks that kill microbes in the water as if by magic, and even tablets you can drop into water to make it drinkable. Still, best bet is to bring too much water with you.

Finally, food. Keep it simple and eat Pop Tarts and Doritos (Doritos make a great firestarter, no joke) and cook some hot dogs on the end of a sharp stick. Or break out your Lodge Cast Iron skillet and whip up a batch of bacon and eggs for breakfast. You could even lean on some old Boy Scout and Girl Scout tricks and make aluminum foil pouches with potatoes, onions and ground beef, then cook these on hot coals.

What about coffee? Who knows? I don’t know how to use a percolator, that skill passed with my grandparents, so my money is on an early morning run to the coffee shop, you did go car camping after all.

Eagle Scout Jason Frye is a freelance writer from Wilmington, North Carolina. He has authored three travel guides for Moon Publications.

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southern harmony | MARSHALL TUCKER BAND

Timeless Lyrics for All Generations

By Pam Windsor Photography courtesy of The Marshall Tucker Band

The Marshall Tucker Band has been part of the American music scene for nearly five decades and still tours all over the country. Fans in the crowd often span several generations, but all have one thing in common: they love the songs.

Some 47 years after the Marshall Tucker Band band formed in Spartanburg, South Carolina, lead singer Doug Gray says it’s almost hard to believe people are still coming to hear the music.

“There is nothing I could have imagined all those years ago that would bring me to this point today. I’m here because the grace of God and the familiarity of our music and the lyrics from our songs.”

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When the band formed in 1972, original members included Gray, brothers Tommy and Toy Caldwell, Paul T. Riddle, George McCorkle, and Jerry Eubanks.

They’d known each other and played in various bands before, but they didn’t come together as Marshall Tucker until after several of them, including Gray, came back from fighting in Vietnam.

“Toy went first, I went second, then Tommy went

third,” Gray recalls. “I got drafted in 1967, then went to Vietnam in 1968. I was there for TET of ’68. I went from being a private to being a sergeant almost overnight. The movies that you’ve seen about TET of ’68 showing a terrible, losing situation… that was the day I was put on duty as a sergeant.”

Gray says when he returned home his mother was waiting at the airport.

“I got off the plane and she said we’re going to go celebrate or something. I can’t quite recall. And she had my old band, the band we had before Vietnam, waiting at a club downtown. And from that day on I’ve pretty much moved forward with music,” he says.

Marshall Tucker signed with Capricorn Records and within a year was opening shows for the Allman Brothers. By 1974, they were headlining shows of their own.

Their hits included “Can’t You See,” “Heard it in a Love Song,” and “Fire on the Mountain,” but they weren’t the only ones performing their songs. Waylon Jennings had a big hit with “Can’t You See,” and groups like Alabama recorded “Fire on the Mountain.” Their songs were also featured in a number of movies and TV shows. It meant more and more people were becoming familiar with Marshall Tucker’s music.

The group has been credited with helping launch the Southern rock genre, but their sound also included elements of rock, rhythm & blues, country, and gospel. Many characterized their music as country which made it difficult to get their songs on the same radio stations that were playing other Southern rock bands.

“A lot of people saw us as a country band and that’s why we didn’t get played on FM radio stations,” Gray explains. “Lynyrd Skynyrd songs were taking off because they were a little more edgy and hard-rockish.”

In the years since, Marshall Tucker has benefited from that country connection.

The band has had many appearances on the Grand Ole Opry and performed on a number of country music awards shows.

Today, Gray is the only remaining original member of the band. Tommy Caldwell died in 1980 from injuries suffered in a car accident and the band was never the same.

“The old band’s been gone mostly since 1982,” says Gray. “That was two years after Tommy died and Toy said he just couldn’t quite take it anymore with Tommy gone.”

Their music lives on, thanks to Gray’s dedication, a group of exceptional musicians, and a collection of great songs that still resonate with fans, so many years after they were first written and recorded.

Gray points to “Can’t You See,” written by Toy Caldwell, as an example of song with lyrics that transcend time.

“I didn’t realize how strong that song was going to be.

When Toy wrote the song and sang it to me, he said, ‘When you sing it, put the emphasis on the ‘can’t you see’ part.” I said,

man, why don’t you go in there and sing the damn song,” he remembers. “Toy had the ability to put pressure on his voice and when he sang, it was like he was testifying. People could really feel it when he sang ‘Can’t you see what that woman’s been doing to me?’”

Gray sings the song now. He says he’s grateful to carry on the Marshall Tucker legacy and remains amazed at the different ages of people who come see their shows.

“I was at a show and a young girl who looked like she was about nine years old came up and said, ‘I need to get your autograph, Mr. Gray.’ She said her grandpa was a big fan and always showed her a picture of the two of us taken at one of our concerts when he was 17.”

Gray was cautious as he asked her if her grandfather was still around.

“She said, ‘Yeah, he’s sitting over there on the bleachers. He forced me to come over here and get your autograph.’”

Gray laughs as he says he still enjoys the people and the music and there’s nothing else he’d rather do than tour with Marshall Tucker. As he gets closer to turning 71 on May 22, he says he has no plans to retire anytime soon.

“I’m extremely happy at where we are today.”

Pam Windsor is a Nashville-based journalist who writes about music, travel, food, culture, and extraordinary people.

“A lot of people saw us as a country band and that’s why we didn’t get played on FM radio stations.”

Doug Gray DeSoto 77

in good spirits | FILLMORE FEELGOOD

78 DeSoto

Feeling good in Corinth Story and photography by Cheré Coen

With a nod to its past as a printing firm, this Corinth, Mississippi, eatery offers kitschy decor, creative appetizers, delicious steaks, and feel-good cocktails.

Maybe it’s the upside-down typewriter on the wall poking fun at the establishment’s former years as Rankin Printery. Or maybe it’s the swinging kitchen doors labeled “yes” and “no” to not confuse the staff. There’s also the sign on the kitchen window that reads, “Please don’t tap on the glass, it bothers the animals.”

When you enter Corinth’s Smith. Restaurant — the period in between is a nod to its printing heritage — the carefree ambiance almost guarantees a good time. And since most people who visit the restaurant are locals, the comfortable atmosphere makes strangers feel like they are part of the gang.

Come for the food, labeled “fine dining done casually” by owners Russell and Julia Smith. The couple also operates the longstanding Russell’s Beef Steak House in Corinth, started by Russell Smith’s grandfather in 1978. Naturally quality steaks are on the menu, but so is a wide variety of great Southern fare. You’ll find fried green tomatoes, “trashed” wings fried twice with a hot-damn sauce, and a sausage-and-pimento marriage — and that’s just the appetizers! We returned for Sunday brunch, enjoying shrimp and grits and some of the finest biscuits in Mississippi.

But yes, we were originally there for cocktails and fun, heading upstairs to the long bar with an impressive display of beer and wine, including many local brews. The second floor is a happening place, the gathering spot for locals to enjoy a rousing trivia night on Thursdays, Wine Down Wednesdays and live music on weekends.

Perfect for this time of year is the Fillmore Feelgood cocktail, a fruity blend that’s as refreshing as it’s delicious.

The Smiths came up with this popular drink when they first opened the restaurant and were playing around with alcoholic combinations.

“It’s a great summer drink,” Julia Smith said. “It’s fruity and light. It’s my go-to drink.”

Smith incorporates Cathead Vodka, a Mississippi distilled spirit, and gives the cocktail its name to the street that passes in front of the restaurant. There’s even a secondfloor balcony outside the bar so patrons can carry their drinks outside and enjoy Corinth life passing by.

Back to the location — the circa-1869 building used to house the Tishomingo Savings Institution and later the printer, which closed in the 1990s. The Smiths wanted to keep an industrial feel to the restaurant, while serving up great Southern dishes and innovative cocktails. smithcorinth.com.

Fillmore Feelgood

1 jigger Cathead Vodka 1 jigger Malibu Rum 1 jigger Peach Schnapps Cranberry juice Pineapple juice Strawberry and orange slice to garnish.

Directions: Add the first three ingredients in a shaker and mix well. Add cranberry and pineapple juice in increments to your liking (the restaurant adds them in equal amounts) and shake. Pour into an 8-ounce glass and garnish with a fresh strawberry and orange slice.

Cheré Coen is a food and travel writer who loves a great cocktail. he writes the Viola Valentine Mysteries under the pen name of Cherie Claire.

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exploring events | MAY Memphis In May Beale Street Music Festival May 3 - 5 Featuring Dave Matthews Band, Khalid, Cardi B, The Killers, OneRebublic and more!

World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest May 15 - 18 Nearly 250 teams travel from around the world and across the U.S. to compete for the title of World Champion and a share of the more than $115,000 in prize money.

Great American River Run May 25 The half marathon course leads racers along the banks of the Mississippi River while 5K runners experience a route through downtown Memphis.

The fun all culminates with a massive post-race party that includes food, drinks and live music.

Celebrate Memphis May 25 Memphis in May joins the city’s bicentennial commemoration with a new event: Celebrate Memphis! We’ll be honoring our city’s rich heritage and colorful history as we ring in a new century of soul. Gates open at 3:00 p.m. Blankets, lawn chairs and outside food, beverages and coolers are permitted for this FREE event.

For more information about the events visit memphisinmay.org or call 901-525-4611.

Museum of the Mississippi Delta presents For All The World To See Through May 25 Greenwood, MS Exhibition: visual culture and the struggles for civil rights. For more information visit museumofthemississippidelta.com or call 662-453-0925.

Spirits of the Passage: The Story of the the Transatlantic Slave Trade Through August 11 Two Mississippi Museums Jackson, MS Explore rare, firsthand accounts of loss and resilience from the unlikely discovery of a sunken slave ship. For more information visit twomississippimuseums.com/spirits.

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Creative Aging Senior Arts Series featuring Grammy Award-winning songstress Joyce Cobb and the Boscos’ Trio May 1 Theatre Memphis Memphis, TN 1:30pm Accompanied by the witticisms of Mark Twain, portrayed to perfection by accomplished actor Ron Jewell. Tickets available online at creativeagingmidsouth.org or at the door ($5 cash or check). For more information call 901-485-5369.

Five Star Fest May 3 - 4 Downtown Senatobia, MS Car show, kids zone, live music, corn hole tournament, steak cook off & BBQ contest, 5k Race and more! For more information visit facebook.com/ fivestarcityfest/ or call 662-562-8715.

7th Annual Native American Customs/Traditions Festival May 4 Tish State Park For more information call 662-438-6914.

Day at the Derby May 4 The Gin Nesbit, MS Presented by Junior Auxiliary of DeSoto County.

Food, dancing, silent auction, live music by Emerald Empire, mint juleps and more. For more information visit jadesoto.gives.

New Kids on the Block Mix Tape Tour May 10 FedEx Forum Memphis, TN 8:00pm Featuring Salt-N-Pepa, Naughty By Nature, Tiffany and Debbie Gibson. For more information visit ticketmaster.com or call 800-745-3000.

48th Annual Gumtree Festival May 10 - 11 Downtown Tupelo, MS The Gumtree Festival is Mississippi’s premier arts festival. Each spring, artists from all over the Southeast descend on Downtown Tupelo for a weekend of music, performance, food, crafts, and visual arts. For more information visit gumtreefestival.com or call 662-844-2787.

Panola Playhouse presents “9 to 5” May 10 - 19 Panola Playhouse Sardis, MS Directed by Keith Salter. For more information visit panolaplayhouse.com or call 662-487-3975.

Earth, Wind and Fire May 14 Orpheum Theatre Memphis, TN 8:00pm For more information visit orpheum-memphis.com or call 901-525-3000.

PJ Masks Live!

May 15 Landers Center Southaven, MS 6:00pm For more information visit ticketmaster.com or email info@landerscenter.com.

45th Annual A’Fair Arts & Crafts festival May 18 Courthouse Square Hernando, MS 9:00am - 5:00pm Over 200 vendors with handcrafted pottery, painting, photography, woodcraft, and jewelry, plus kids zone, food and more. There is no admission fee and parking is free. For more information call 662-2808875 or visit hernandooptimist.org.

Landscaping Camp May 24 - 25 Oxford, MS Take a personal tour learning from the expert who made Ole Miss Beautiful. Featuring Jeff McManus, Director of Landscape Services. Workshops, Personal Tours and more. For more information visit oxfordms.com or call Rosie Vassallo at 662-234-4651.

Memphis Area Master Gardeners Tour June 1 Memphis, TN 9:00am - 4:00pm Free tour - open to the public and all ages are welcome. Plant lists, labeled plants, educational displays, garden docents and plants for purchase.

Rain or shine. For more information visit memphisareamastergardeners.org or call 901-752-1207.

Landscaping Camp May 24 - 25. Oxford, MS

3rd Annual KImbrough Cotton Patch Soul Blues Festival May 17 - 19 The HUT Holly Springs, MS Hosted by Robert Kimbrough Sr., Junior’s youngest son. Three days of live music, food, and plenty of education about Original Cotton Patch Soul Blues Boy Junior Kimbrough. The Kimbrough Cotton Patch Soul Blues Festival is an interactive unfiltered cultural experience. For more information visit Kimbroughfest.com.

Summer Symphony featuring Dennis DeYoung and the music of STYX May 24 Memphis Botanic Garden Memphis TN Picnic baskets, lawn chairs and coolers welcome!

For more information visit liveatthegarden.com.

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reflections | WAITING ON FLORENCE

The Torture of Not Knowing Story and photography by Jason Frye

Last September, I awoke to a beautiful and misty sunrise in Maggie Valley, North Carolina. Though I was the first one up, our Airbnb already brimmed with anxiety, the windows practically fogged with it, and I prepared myself for another day of waiting.

Two days before, we’d evacuated ahead of Hurricane Florence. She was making a beeline for Wilmington, the eye projected to pass less than a mile north of our house.

My wife and I had left our home behind. We’d convinced her parents to leave their place in Southport, and I felt responsible for the whole of it. I planned the route. I packed supplies and survival gear. I secreted a cache of supplies in our house so that if or when I returned, I would have something to eat and drink, or if my neighbors needed it, they could find it in the rubble of our home. I carried our safety and our futures in my pocket.

What would happen? Would Florence make landfall as a Category 4 or 5 and scour the land clean as Katrina had done in Biloxi, Mississippi? Would my in-laws house be roofless or razed or remain standing? Would we be gone two days or two weeks?

I didn’t have answers. None of us did. After days of watching the forecasts, we were still in a cone of uncertainty.

Every glimpse at Facebook, every news alert on our phones, every newspaper headline prepared us for the worst.

In an attempt to calm my nerves and ease the tension of our house – where two couples used to living alone, a pair of dogs and a cat were trying to learn to live together – I offered up a balm: a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway. As we drove, I 82 DeSoto

narrated, using what I’d learned in the writing of travel guides to North Carolina, the Smoky Mountains, and the Blue Ridge Parkway to distract us from the reality that soon we could be homeless.

As the sun set, we stopped at an overlook to watch.

I shuffled my feet. I worried over the next NOAA update, coming with words like “catastrophic” and “devastating” and “total loss.”

That night I sat on the deck of our hopefully temporary home and thought about what I’d left behind. A married lifetime of memories and mementos in a little brick box in Wilmington; a house; a home. I didn’t know what was next. I wrote this for Facebook and Instagram, a feeble gesture in the face of Florence:

We left our home in Wilmington in a rush as we evacuated for Hurricane Florence. There’s no telling what, if anything, we will have to go back to. By this time next week we could be homeless, all the books and art, the cabinets and furniture I built with my father-in-law, the scraps of paper and collected flotsam that make up our lives scattered and gone. Or we could find our house standing but our friends with nothing.

For now we have this: sunsets in the Smoky Mountains. Yes, we’ve fled but our hearts and minds are divided: here, in the moment; there, in a sort of purgatory where the torture is not knowing.

Jason Frye and his family were fortunate during Hurricane Florence; they returned to find their homes in tact although friends, neighbors, and the communities of Wilmington and Southport are still recovering.