Homegrown

Far More Than Whittling

By Tom Adkinson | Photography courtesy of Tom Adkinson and William Moore

A Tupelo couple’s creativity — and a giving spirit — transform a hobby into a successful business.

Can a tree that fell in the woods in 1919 still be making noise today? The improbable answer is yes, if it was a black walnut tree cut down by William Moore’s grandfather in Leflore County, Miss. Moore still is using wood from that tree for some of the artistic items that emerge from his Tupelo workshop destined for family members, and he uses plenty of wood from other sources to make many more items for other people. Making gifts is what encouraged Moore and his wife, Kathy, to create a business called WilKat. Its name comes from the first syllables of their names. Moore has worked almost 30 years in newspapers — and continues doing so at the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal — and says he always enjoyed making Christmas gifts for co-workers, whether that was something from the kitchen or from his workshop. He hit on a popular item when he crafted small wooden trays in the shape of Mississippi. They are just the right size to sit on a bedroom dresser

and collect pocket change at the end of the day and are attractive enough to be a holiday candy dish. They are even appealing enough to be displayed by themselves. Moore has one in his workshop that holds rulers, pens, pencils, screws, and other small items.

Moore’s workshop is attached to his suburban Tupelo house. It is compact and well equipped and certainly would be the envy of any woodworker starting out in the field. One of the few decorations is a wall clock made of the tools of the trade. Surrounding the clock face is a circular saw blade and a variety of tools such as a hammer, a C-clamp, pliers, and a screwdriver. A tape measure is the clock’s pendulum. “I piddled around for years doing small woodwork, birdhouses, and stuff like that,” Moore explains. He has progressed significantly and now can make beautiful furniture pieces and decorative items such as multi-piece crosses for wall accents. “I’ll see something and think, ‘I can make that even better.’” Wooden crosses were one of the early items he made for family members from his grandfather’s walnut lumber. He later started making pocket-sized crosses from cedar trees downed in a tornado. No two are alike. WilKat calls them comfort crosses and sells them with a Bible verse or other positive message inside a ginghampatterned sack. “Kathy inspired WilKat,” Moore says. “She said we should make things and share the joy they contain. Both of us like to stay busy.” Moore jokes that he’s in charge of WilKat production and that his wife is in charge of packaging, but she contributes on the creative side, too. After two decades as a successful Realtor, Kathy Moore expands the inventory with numerous decorator and gift items. Those include sublimated tiles with images of butterflies, birds, and flowers; 120-piece jigsaw puzzles of images such as an iron bridge across the Yazoo River or a sunset scene of the pier at Fairhope, Ala. There are also small items such as Mississippi candles, jar grippers, and mouse pads. The popularity of Moore’s Mississippi tray led to his making similar trays shaped like Alabama and Tennessee, and he’s meticulous with all of them. While maneuvering a band saw to cut out

Comfort Crosses

a Mississippi tray, he was almost finished when he paused to inspect it and then sliced a small nick off the upper right corner. “I have to acknowledge where Pickwick Lake is,” he says with a grin. Whether Moore is working on a piece for sale, an item for a family member or something for his own house, he says the exercise of making things is relaxing. “Woodworking is something to clear my mind from the clutter of the day,” he adds.

While WilKat is a small, twoperson operation, it has gone from pure hobby to an erstwhile business. Moore noted with a wry smile how he never realized how much time went into sanding and finishing each piece until he started recording the time investment. “WilKat quickly evolved into a real business. People started seeing our products and asking for more. We began making sales, collecting sales tax, marketing — all the things that make a real business,” Moore says.

Until recently, all WilKat sales have been online, but the couple plans to attend a few events where they will display and sell, even though that is slightly out of character for both of them. “We’re quiet and reserved, but WilKat is getting out there,” she says. “We like to share our dreams.”

wilkatshop.com

Tom Adkinson has been known to whittle, but does no other woodworking and envies those who do. He lives in Nashville, Tenn., and is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers.

A Bachelor Party to Remember

By Jason Frye | Photography courtesy of Alpine Helen CVB

Planning a bachelor party can seem daunting but we offer several destinations that feature a variety of fun — and sometimes wild — options to make it easier.

Wedding season is upon us. Before you have the seersucker dry cleaned and practice the perfect bow tie, there’s one more hurdle. Not the RSVP. Not the selection of a fish, chicken, or vegetarian reception meal. It’s the bachelor party. If you’re planning the bachelor party, you’re in luck. We’ve done most of the thinking for you. All you need to do is read on and decide which of these bachelor party ideas fits the partygoers in question best. If you’re attending the bachelor party and you’re concerned it’s going to turn into a documentary form of “The Hangover” (or worse yet, “The Hangover II”), I suggest reading this story with a Sharpie in hand so you can mark your favorites. Then crease the magazine really well, dogear this page, and leave this issue sitting around where the designated bachelor party planner will find it and be inspired.

Helen, Georgia Head to the North Georgia mountains and rent a cabin near Helen. Anglers – especially fly fishermen – love it here and the trophy trout streams in these hills are packed with enough fish that at the end of the day you can see who has the biggest one. Worried you – or worse yet, the groom-to-be – won’t measure up? Take a fly fishing lesson. Or just go for a round of golf at The Mossy Creek Golf Course. The Georgia Wine

Trail makes its way through these parts, but if you’d rather sip something sudsy, there are plenty of beer gardens around. Finally, get your heart pounding with some mountain biking, some whitewater rafting or even a helicopter tour.

Vicksburg, Mississippi Make your way to Vicksburg, Miss., for some fantastic food (we’re looking at you, Solly’s Hot Tamales, and at you, Rusty’s Riverfront Grill, and who can forget The Biscuit Company?) and a weekend celebrating the soon-no-longer-a-bachelor. There’s fishing galore here – I mean, it’s on the Mississippi River – and a guide like Blue Cat Guide Services will get you out there in search of a monster catfish or two, but you can BYOB (bring your own boat) and fish to your heart’s content. If your groom-to-be is expressing any doubts, you can point him north or south on bicycles and head out for a long ride on the Mississippi River Trail, a walking and cycling route that follows the river from the Gulf of Mexico to the headwaters, or take on Battlefield Tour Road, an 18-mile loop with killer views. (Battlefield Bicycle will set you up with everything you need). And if golf is what you need, don’t ask them, just go to Clear Creek Golf Course and be prepared to let the man of the hour win a few side bets.

Turneffe Island Resort, Belize You only get married once (hopefully), so you might as well do it big, right? Hop on a plane and head south to Belize and let Turneffe Island Resort be your bachelor party base for a week. This 14-acre private island is part of an atoll where fishing, diving, and snorkeling will leave the Dude of the Day with so many great stories and pictures he’ll be planning a return trip for the honeymoon. Head out to the Great Blue Hole – where freedivers come to set record after record, or just wander around this lush, Caribbean island where the palm trees and sandy beaches will go perfectly with whatever Jimmy Buffet tune the bride’s sister’s brother-in-law (how was he invited?) won’t stop playing on his (unfortunately) waterproof speaker. Pro tip: reserve the Presidential Villa for the utmost in privacy.

Go Yachting What’s better than a swanky boat for a bachelor party? Book four nights on the Socorro Aggressor and get to Isla Guadalupe on the Pacific Coast of the Baja Peninsula for killer food and dives in shark cages where you’re likely to spot Great Whites and other sharks. Or fly into Los Cabos and sail on the Socorro Aggressor to a trio of volcanic islands to dive with giant manta rays, dolphin pods, humpback whales, and maybe even a Great White or hammerhead — or both. Aggressor Adventures’ liveaboard yachts deliver fivestar service, exceptional food, and all the dive gear and underwater cameras you’ll need to complete the trip.

Alabama’s Gulf Coast The gorgeous Gulf coast of Alabama was made for bachelor parties. Cruisin’ Tikis Orange Beach has a floating tiki hut you can charter for a BYOB day on the water. At The Wharf, you can rent a condo and sleep just steps away from a dozen or so restaurants and bars. And if you’re ready to step up the fishing game, talk to Intercoastal Safaris where they’ll take you out for some bowfishing, which is just too bad-ass to pass up.

Spartanburg and Greenville, South Carolina The last stop on our bachelor party world tour is a pair of cities in South Carolina where the food is absolutely exceptional (seriously, some folks are in on the secret of Greenville’s food scene but not so many it’s impossible to dine at the best places in the city — like Jianna, Hall’s Chophouse, Soby’s) and the adventure is one-of-a-kind. In Spartanburg, the BMW Performance Center will put you behind the wheel (save the drinks for after) of a high-performance BMW that you get to put through the paces and test your nerves. Pay a visit to FR8yard, an open-air biergarten, after to celebrate the day.

Jason Frye played golf, visited a brewery, and had dinner with three friends for his bachelor party (incidentally, he played his best round ever that day). It wasn’t wild, but they cursed a lot, snuck a couple of flasks onto the golf course, smoked a funny-smelling cigarette, then ordered appetizers, dinner and dessert, so it was a little wild after all.

Without a Word

By Kevin Wierzbicki Photography Credits: CD cover graphic courtesy of BFD/Audium Nashville. Photos courtesy of Dale Watson.

Guitarist Dale Watson honors Memphis with his new instrumental album, ‘The Memphians.’

A few years back when guitarist and singer Dale Watson left his longtime stomping grounds in Texas to relocate to Memphis, he brought with him the requisite home furnishings and his musical instruments. He also brought along things less tangible — like his love for the style of roots music that he refers to as “Ameripolitan.” Also in his figurative suitcase was Chicken $#!+ Bingo, a scatological novelty game that Memphians have really grown to give a, well you know what, about. “I started Chicken $#!+ Bingo 21 years ago in Austin, and I thought it would just be a novelty thing and people would tire of it after a month,” Watson says. “But it has just gotten bigger. The gist of it is, for a ‘poultry’ $5 you pick a number and if it’s the same number that the chicken picks in her chickenpicking way, then you win over $100. The winner gets all the money; we do not take any of it. The names of our chickens are Hernanda and Dolly, and they are likely the only chickens in all of Tennessee that have their own vet look in on them.” Chicken $#!+ Bingo often takes place when Watson performs at Hernando’s Hideaway, the historic Memphis music venue that he owns. Like all nightclubs across the country, Hernando’s Hideaway had to go dark when the pandemic hit. “We opened Hernando’s Hideaway in November 2019 and we were only open for three months when the lockdown happened,” Watson explains. “We just started opening Wednesday through Sunday recently. As of right now we are permitted to stay open until 1 a.m., and we are still using precautions dictated by the city.”

Pandemic or not, Watson says he sometimes gets a funny feeling at the haunted venue where the list of days-goneby performers includes Jerry Lee Lewis and the King of Rock

’n’ Roll himself, Elvis Presley. “Every time I walk into Hernando’s Hideaway I feel like there are ghosts there, especially musically speaking,” he says. “There is something about all of Memphis that has that feeling but at Hernando’s it just feels closer, and rather warming.” Watson’s fascination with the historic aspect of the Memphis music scene runs deep, so much so that his new album is called “The Memphians.” The record is Watson’s first instrumental album. The effort is not a cover album, rather it is a collection of songs Watson wrote or co-wrote that demonstrates the influence on his guitar-playing style that’s been gleaned from Memphis-associated players of the past. Super twangy guitar (and a greasy saxophone line from band member Jim Spake) highlight “Agent Elvis,” a sassy romp honoring Presley’s guitarist Scotty Moore, and the catchy “Deep Eddy” tunes into a Duane Eddy vibe. Watson’s love of traditional country music shines throughout the album and particularly on cuts like “Hernando’s Swang,” a blues-tinged country dance guaranteed to get boots to scootin’. Watson says he learned quite a bit about his musicianship as he and his band recorded “The Memphians,” in a mere two days at his cleverly-named Memphis recording studio Wat-Sun Studios. "I have never fancied myself a great guitar player but I am good at playing melody,” he says. “The biggest thing I learned about my playing during this recording session was focus. We recorded live and in doing so you don’t want to be the one to make a mistake and have to start the song all over again. But I was that guy very often! “This was also the first time I did not use a Telecaster guitar on the session. I have two guitars that were the models used by Scotty Moore; they have a very different sound and a different way of playing but they are a lot of fun.” Wat-Sun Studios has hosted sessions by the likes of The Reverend Horton Heat, the Hickoids, Miss Tammi Savoy, and longtime Memphis player Jason D. Williams. “The studio has primarily been for my use,” says Watson. “It’s a roots-oriented type of recording studio. It would not be conducive to a modern country sound.” With a plate that’s clearly overflowing, Watson says he’s trying to slow down a bit to concentrate on playing more at his own bar. “My booking agent, though, is like a kid in a candy store, being able to book shows now, and he’s wasting no time. We have a tour set up that takes me through the Midwest then to Colorado and ending up in Memphis. That’ll be a solo acoustic tour with Jim Heath of The Reverend Horton Heat.” Watson also heads back to Texas for a show now and again and to keep an eye on the two nightclubs he owns there. While there’s nary a lyric on “The Memphians,” there is a song titled “2020” where Watson could have had some unkind words for an unkind year. Laughing about the possibilities, he offers a lyric of hope and humor, “There’s a light at the end of the tunnel. I sure hope it isn’t a train.”

Kevin Wierzbicki is a Michigan-born, Arizona-based music and travel writer who loves to explore the sounds of the world whether they’re on CD or presented live at a festival in a far-flung location.

A True Classic Cocktail

Story and photo by Cheré Coen

The Sazerac has a long history in New Orleans, one that starts with a pharmacist and a coffeehouse, and arguably gives birth to America’s cocktail culture.

This may come as a surprise to many but back in the 19th century alcohol was available throughout New Orleans — in saloons and taverns, naturally, but also coffee houses, pharmacies, and other establishments. Sarcasm aside, this lax attitude towards imbibing spirits in the always eclectic Crescent City produced a rich environment for the development of cocktails. Antoine Amédée Peychaud, for instance, operated an apothecary on Royal Street in the French Quarter. He created a recipe for bitters around 1830 that combined spirits infused with botanicals, an elixir to help the medicine go down. This delicious assemblage of flavors was seized upon in the city’s coffeehouses, many of which operated much like a saloon. Peychaud’s Bitters and spirits — mainly Laurent Sazerac de Forge’s French cognac with a dash of absinthe, an aniseflavored spirit popular in New Orleans in the 19th century — made for interesting combinations. The drink became known as the “Sazerac,” named for the cognac maker. By the 1870s, however, a devastating wine year in France decreased the availability of cognac so rye whiskey was substituted in the drink. The trace amounts of wormwood in absinthe, thought to create addictions among their followers as well as hallucinations and other mental issues, prompted American officials to outlaw the spirit. Another ingenious New Orleanian, J.M. Legendre, created Herbsaint to take its place, a spirit similar in nature to absinthe but minus the wormwood. Today, the Sazerac cocktail contains Peychaud’s Bitters (sold in stores using the same recipe as Antoine’s), sugar, Herbsaint, rye whiskey, and lemon, and it’s as popular today as it was a century ago. Which is why the Sazerac was named the official cocktail of New Orleans in 2008. The Sazerac is also one of the many arguments historians use to declare New Orleans and its many creative spirit-makers for the origin of the cocktail. Visitors to New Orleans may sample this potent drink throughout the city’s bars and other establishments (the city hasn’t changed in that regard) but also tour the Sazerac House on Canal Street, a lovingly restored building located 350 yards from the coffeehouse that first served the combination. The Sazerac House — run by the Sazerac company which produces numerous spirits and Peychaud’s Bitters — offers free admission to exhibits that explain the Sazerac cocktail, as well as other local and national libations, plus the history of the company’s products. Special tours and programs that include mixology lessons and drink samples are offered as well, but with a fee. Virtual tastings have been offered during the pandemic, with participants making the drinks at home with their own ingredients or purchasing a cocktail set picked up at curbside. All on-site tours require reservations through the company’s website. Here’s a recipe to create a Sazerac at home, just in time to celebrate Sazerac Day on June 23.

sazerachouse.com

Sazerac 1 cube sugar 1 1/2 ounces Sazerac Rye Whiskey (or your own brand) 1/4 ounce Herbsaint 3 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters Lemon peel

Directions: Pack on Old Fashioned glass with ice. In a second Old Fashioned glass place the sugar cube and add the Peychaud’s Bitters, then crush the sugar cube. Add the Sazerac Rye Whiskey to the second glass containing the Peychaud’s Bitters and sugar. Empty the ice from the first glass and coat the glass with the Herbsaint, then discard the remaining Herbsaint. Empty the whisky/bitters/sugar mixture from the second glass into the first glass and garnish with a lemon peel.

A favorite memory of DeSoto Co-editor Cheré Coen was bringing her mother to The Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans in the last years of her life to enjoy her favorite drink, a Sazerac. She believes the Sazerac is most definitely the official cocktail of her hometown.