2020 Bridal Issue
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essful r t s = r a e y s the task! e a t le n i p m s o g c n essfully 2 weddi family succ
Artist of the Quarter
pson f Scott Thom
In this issue: • Ryan-Landers wedding
In Step With
Buddy Powell
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From Mardi Gras to downtown Memphhis
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Greg Harbison finds rewards in art!
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• Joy Unspeakable Brewer Carruth pens inspirational book
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• Seasoned with love Homemade seasoning works well with seafood and other meats
On the cover:
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Audrey Ryan and Zach Landers tied the knot recently at New Covenant Presbyterian Church. Photo by Shea Gibson Photography
• Pulse Points Check out recent businesses that have opened!
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From the Publisher
everal weeks ago, when we started planning the stories for this edition, two of my best friends at the Enterprise-Journal, Beverly Moak and Vicky Deere, gave me a gentle stare-down when I said I didn’t want to put my daughter’s wedding on the cover. “Come on, Dad,” Beverly chided me. And it only took a day or so for me to come around to the idea that this was my only daughter’s wedding and was worth the cover story.
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I’ll say this: It was one of the easiest bridal edition packages to put together. I knew exactly how to get Ernest Herndon, who wrote the story, in touch with Audrey and her husband, Zach Landers. And the photographer was a big help in sending lots of pictures — maybe because I’m paying for them. It was a fun wedding, and it really is nice to see it captured in a magazine format. I must admit that Beverly and Vicky were right — as they usually are!
Publisher - Jack Ryan Editor - Matt Williamson Advertising Manager - Vicky Deere Advertising sales-
Stacy Godwin, LeWair Foreman, Steven Sawyer, Christy Thornton & Margie Williams.
pulse is a publication of J.O. Emmerich & Associates Inc. and is produced in association with the Enterprise-Journal, 112 Oliver Emmerich Dr., McComb, Mississippi. For more copies or advertising information, call 601-6842421, write P.O. Box 2009, McComb, MS 39649 or e-mail advertising@enterprise-journal.com. Volume 12, Issue 3
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Buddy Powell finds success by keeping busy developing Anna Drive and other developments out of state.
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In Step With Buddy Powell
Developer has the golden touch By Mack Spe ncer The germ of the idea for developing McComb’s Anna Drive began with the purchase of some hunting land in Amite County. Buddy Powell worked with his friend, real estate agent Wayne Frazier, to find a suitable property, eventually settling on a nice tract along the Amite River. “We got to talking, and Wayne said, ‘You got that at a good price. We could put a ridiculous price on it and see what happens.’ And someone bought it,” Powell said. “I liked that.” Thus did Powell, the franchisee of McComb’s Golden Corral, get into the land and development business. From McComb, Powell and his development partners, including Pat Brumfield of Brumfield Oil, have branched out far afield, into Louisiana, and in the Dallas area. McComb remains Powell’s special interest, however. “We’re spending more time and money locally, and that’s paying dividends,” Powell said. “It adds to the community, and it builds a lot of pride in what we have here. It’s an ideal place to live. “This wouldn’t be possible without my partners, and my wife and daughter are huge assets in helping me make decisions. And I
In Step With: Buddy Powell
have to thank God — this is all his, we just borrow it for a little while.” Powell began his development of Anna Drive with the Golden Corral Commons, properties south of the Exxon station at Anna and Delaware Avenue that are now occupied by C Spire, Blue Eyed Sisters and Lott Furniture, among others. He bought up 29 acres down both sides of what is now Anna Drive over five years and worked to get the street and other infrastructure in place ready for development. FitLife Sportsplex is now an anchor development of the southern stretch of Anna Drive, Opened in 2017, the business has 20,000 square feet under the roof and continues to expand. “I wanted to bring in something that would offer something to do to all age groups,” Powell said. “Jerry Ivy approached us about opening a fitness center, and he had his idea drawn up on a napkin. And now it’s where it is today. I don’t think we’ll ever end developing over there.” He said a lack of space in the main workout room led them to remove the walls around the Kids Corner to add that space, and a new building is in progress for a new Kids Corner. “I’d love to go all the way to Park Drive with FitLife,” he said. Construction has been finished on the new
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Buddy Powell stands in front of the future home of Central Sunbelt Federal Credit Union on Anna Drive.
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Two new businesses coming soon on Anna Drive. Central Sunbelt Federal Credit Union, and land is committed for a new branch of State Bank and Trust and another Mr. Tom’s Carwash. Earlier this year, Powell announced plans to bring a franchised location of Florida-based chicken strip purveyor Huey Magoo’s to McComb, the first in the state, as well among the first of the chain outside Florida. “I’m very excited,” Powell said. “This will be the first one in Mississippi and the first one built from the ground up in the company.” He and his daughter, Kristi Orr, spent four days in Florida meeting with Huey Magoo’s company officials and learning about the restaurants. “We were blown away, and I’m excited about what we can do with them,” Powell said. He said he has had a number of inquiries about open lots down Anna Drive from restaurant and retail companies, including a major grocery store chain. “I feel good” about a number of those inquiries, he said, though, “nothing is guaranteed, but we’re having good talks.” Powell had an unconvential start down the road to restaurant operation and land speculation and development. He began working for a grocery store at 13 years old, and he became a meat cutter. After some years in grocery meat markets, he became a meat cutter for the first Golden Corral in Mississippi, in Clinton. He worked his way up from cutter to department manager and went through the company’s training for restaurant managers. Much of his training was in McComb, before he was given a restaurant in Abbeville, La., to manage. Two years later, McComb restaurant manager Larry Mayfield left to open a Golden Corral in Oak Harbour, Wash., and Powell was sent back to McComb as manager. After 15 years managing, he bought a franchise for the restaurant, and 10 years after that, he built the present building. Powell described himself as frugal, and said working a lot of 80 to 90-hour weeks helped to put him in position to do what he has done. He puts a lot of credit elsewhere, however. “I could not have done any of this without the people of McComb,” Powell said. “They are our greatest asset.” n
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Ph otos by Sh e a Gibson Ph otography
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“It was just a spe ctacu lar day� Audrey Ryan, Zach Landers recall their November wedding Mr. and Mrs. Zach Landers photographed outside New Covenant Presbyterian Church.
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From Mardi Gras proposal to home in downtown Memphis By Ernest Herndon The courtship of Zach Landers and Audrey Ryan involved a fraternity party, a giant dog and a Mardi Gras parade. It all came together in a church wedding and a home in downtown Memphis. Zach, 26, was born in San Antonio, Texas, and lived in Kentucky, Atlanta and Olive Branch before enrolling at Ole Miss. Audrey, 24, is the daughter of Enterprise-Journal editor Jack Ryan and his wife Mary Ann of McComb. She was going to Ole Miss when she met Zach — a meeting that almost didn’t happen. “It was (fraternity) bid day at Ole Miss,” Audrey recalled. “I was going to one of the fraternity houses and I didn’t want to go, and then my friend made me.” Zach was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha, while Audrey belonged to Delta Gamma. Bid day is when fraternities and sororities offer membership to chosen applicants, followed by celebrations. Audrey was sitting outside at the party when Zach came up and
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Mary Ann Ryan, mother of the bride, assists Audrey with the buttons on her bridal gown. someone introduced them. They hit it off. “We talked the rest of the night,” Audrey said. “He’s really easy to talk to. He’s a very likable person. He’s a charmer,” she said with a laugh. “We started hanging out every day. We were inseparable.” Said Zach, “I asked her to be my girlfriend about a month later when we were visiting her cousin in New Orleans. Then we got a dog together, a Great Dane-Labrador mix. Some people call them a Labra-Dane.” “Zack wanted to name him Ignatius and call him Iggy,” Audrey said. “I said, ‘That is a horrible name.’ ” The solution came when they saw a YouTube comedy video with a character named Chaw and decided that fit the dog perfectly. LONG-DISTANCE ROMANCE The couple hung out throughout the summer, then Zach went off to William & Mary Law School in Virginia while Audrey entered her senior year at Ole Miss. “We did the whole long-distance thing,” Zach said. “She probably spent a small fortune on plane tickets. I put a lot of miles on my car.” Their relationship became even more long-distance after Audrey graduated with a degree in integrated marketing and communications and took a job in Houston, Texas. “Before he left for law school we knew what our intentions were, and so we cleared the air with each other and we knew we wanted to make it last,” Audrey said. “We were both very trusting of each other. We saw each other as often as we could and we communicated.”
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Zach and Audrey leaving their wedding reception.
MARDI GRAS PROPOSAL Then came the fateful day: Mardi Gras 2018, New Orleans. “It was my second semester of law school, February,” Zach said. “I’d gotten into the habit of going with Jack and the rest of the family to Mardi Gras every year. That’s like Christmas for Jack. “I proposed to her there on the parade route at Mardi Gras because that was one of the few times I could get all the family together and the friends.” He made his move during the Krewe of Tucks parade. “She was up there catching beads and the float was coming back,” Zach said. “This was a huge plan. Everybody knew about it except for Audrey. Her friends came and everything. It was Feb. 10. I just kind of walked up behind her, tapped her on the shoulder, got on my knee and proposed.
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“She started crying. She said yes. She was pretty happy.” Zach was holding a sign that read, “She said yes!” Audrey was wearing full Mardi Gras regalia with a pink trucker hat. “It was really a good plan on his part,” Audrey said. “He made sure all my family and friends were around. “We were at a parade and everyone’s screaming and I thought they were just yelling at the float and I looked to my side and he was down on one knee and I was just taken aback.” She wasn’t completely surprised, though, as she had noticed Zach seemed a bit nervous. “It was so loud that he couldn’t really say much,” Audrey said. “He said how much he loved me and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me.” CHURCH WEDDING For all the party atmosphere of their meeting and proposal, the wedding was pretty traditional. The venue was Audrey’s church,
New Covenant Presbyterian of McComb. “We had all of our friends, our family there,” Zach said. “I had friends fly in from law school, Missouri, New York City. It was just a spectacular day. The ceremony was short and sweet, about 20 minutes, which
was what we wanted.” Around 200 people attended. “It was beautiful,” Audrey said. “It was very simple. It was just a good moment. It’s all just a blur to me.” Afterward came a reception at Fernwood Country Club, then a six-day honeymoon at St. Lucia, a Caribbean island. “We were going to go to Barbados, but it was going to take like 25 hours to get there, so we picked somewhere more accessible,” Audrey said. “Plus, St. Lucia is gorgeous. I’ve always seen it in photos.” They settled in Memphis, Tenn., where Zach — who calls himself a “newly minted” Audrey and bridesmaids enjoy a funny moment.
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attorney — works for Martin, Tate, Morrow & Marston PC. They live in a downtown apartment a block from Beale Street and a couple blocks from the Mississippi River. “It’s really fun downtown and
we’re still relatively young, and we might as well do it while we can,” Audrey said. “There’s always something to do, and you can walk anywhere. It’s starting to boom.” n
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Mr. & Mrs. Jonath an Poe 18
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Ph oto by Ke lly Ne ve ls Ph otography
Mr. & Mrs. Hayes Th ompson Ph oto by Je annie Meyer Ph otography 2020 Bridal Issue
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Above are, from left, Krandall and Winnie Len Howell, Taylor Poe and Hope and Scott Thompson. At right, the Howells and Thompsons flank Hayes and Haley Thompson.
Thompson family celebrates two weddings in one year By Matt Wi lliamson Hope Thompson recalls attending a bridal expo with friend of hers last year and being very happy about the fact that she wasn’t one of those frantic parents who was soon to be a nervous wreck and a lot lighter in the pocketbook with wedding planning. “I was there and what’s funny is I wasn’t planing a wedding,” she said. “I was enjoying sitting back and watching everybody being so stressed out.” Then came the news: Her son Hayes and his girlfriend Haley announced their engagement, with plans for an October wedding with 250 guests — enough to put Thompson on the same stress level as all of those beleaguered parents at the expo. But then her daughter Taylor and fiance Jonathan Poe announced their engagement, with 650 guests anticipated — with 15 weeks to plan it all. The two ceremonies made for a whirlwind year
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for Hope and her husband Scott, and it’s nothing short of miraculous that they’ve managed to survive wedding season. “Most people took humor in it. They were glad it was us and not them," Hope said. “There were a lot of weeks in a row of, ‘Bless your heart,’ ” Scott said. But, without a hitch, Taylor and Jonathan were hitched on Aug. 10 at Oak Hill Estate in McComb, and Hayes and Haley followed with their nuptials on Oct. 5 at Parkway Heights United Methodist Church in Hattiesburg. n n n Hayes met Haley Brooke Hill, originally from Laurel, while playing tennis in high school. “We wondered why one afternoon Hayes and some of his friends said, ‘We’re going to go meet some people from the Jones (County Junior College) tennis team in Hattiesburg,’ ” Scott said. Taylor and Jonathan met as students at Mississippi College. “Taylor and Johnathan knew each other all the way through all four years of college but didn’t
date until April of their senior year,” Hope said. They sat by each other in a freshman class led by Ivan Parke, who was one of two officiants at their wedding. Hayes and Haley’s wedding, in retrospect, was mostly traditional — a nice church ceremony with a good-sized but
“They were in college in two different cities,” Hope said, adding that scheduling conflicts during the school year and holidays made the summer the only option. When they started planning Taylor’s wedding, it was apparent early on this would not be a simple undertaking, starting with the guest list. “Coming up with a list of 650 people with addresses, that’s difficult,” “What’s funny about this is the Hope said. “Taylor is and biggest wedding was the one that always has been a very sowas planned the fastest.” cial person. If she was in an organization or a club Hope Thompson, mother of the bride, Taylor Thompson or an outreach of some sort she had people that she knew. I would say, not over-the-top guest list, with a reception ‘Taylor, we’ve got to cut this list. following at the alumni house at the UniThis list is too big,’ and she versity of Southern Mississippi, where the would say, ‘Oh no, Momma. couple attended college. This person taught me Sunday Taylor and Jonathan wanted an outdoor school.’ She invited her pediatriceremony — in August. cian — and Dr. (Tom) Carey “What’s funny about this is the biggest came.” wedding was the one that was planned the Classmates from Baylor, MC fastest,” Hope said. “They wanted an outand high school, including one side wedding, which was much more diffifrom Taiwan, came to the cerecult, and the other one, they were engaged mony. The Thompsons in years for a year and wanted an inside wedding past have helped with children’s with a smaller crowd.” librarian “Miss Mattie” Rials’ Wednesday Hope said Taylor and Jonathan’s busy Friends group and they all were invited as schedules led to the time crunch. They’re well. both in college in Texas, with Jonathan in “The other factor that was a little more Fort Worth and Taylor in Waco. difficult was my parents live in Okla-
homa,” Scott said. “We’re having to invite family to come in. You have to say to them, ‘Don’t come to one if you’re not going to be here for the other.’ ” n n n The timing and simultaneous planning of the two weddings made focusing on ei-
ther challenging. “Taylor’s parties came after (Hayes’) parties, but his wedding was second and his engagement was first,” Hope said. “The stores would say, ‘We have gifts
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Above, Hayes and Haley Thompson kiss after saying ‘I do.’ At left, the couple cuts their wedding cake. Taylor Poe dances with her father Scott Thompson, below left, and her husband Jonathan, below right.
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ying .
on, ht.
for your kids.’ ... I would have to come home and make piles in different rooms,” Scott said. “You started out thinking about Hayes’ wedding and all of a sudden you blocked out all of this period of time that was devoted to Taylor’s wedding,” Hope said. “After hers was done, ‘All right, we’ve got to start thinking about Hayes’ again.’" Hope said she was worried if they’d be able to have Taylor’s wedding dress made in time. “Dressmakers don’t want to be rushed,” Scott noted, adding that they can accommodate "as long as you’re willing to move the time table.” “And then you’ve got to get it altered. And then youve got to get portraits done,” Hope said. But Taylor did end up getting her wedding dress — an ALine Martina Liana gown of ivory lace from Elle James Bridal that featured a V-neck line and low v-back with floral appliques and beading throughout the lace details. The bridesmaids, however, were in matching attire in terms of color but not cut, in an attempt to keep at least one aspect of the rushed ceremony as simple as possible. “There’s nothing simple in planning anything that deals with women and dresses,” Hope said. Scott said there was little time to debate a lot of the planning. “We didn’t have the luxury of questioning decisions,” Scott said. “If we keep going back to that issues, we’ll never get it done in time.” He recalled seeing Hope fret over the finer details and having to step in.
“Hope was sitting there one day and she was really contemplating, of all things, little plastic tables we could set all of the kids stuff on for the children of guests,” he said. He commandeered Hope’s legal pad, told her to just pick one and ordered the table. “Sometimes it’s best to go ahead and make a decision,” he said. On the day of the event, everything was in place for the outdoor ceremony — including rain clouds all around the area. “That day it actually rained in Hattiesburg. When the preacher was coming from Jackson it rained on him all the way down, but it did not rain at Oak Hill that day," Hope said, adding that the venue’s spacious banquet hall would have been Plan B if it had. “We had it set up outside but we had it fixed so if it did rain we had a backup.” n n n Surviving their children’s weddings required the Thompsons to rely on each other’s strengths. For Hope, it’s the meticulous planning. For Scott, it’s the laid-back demeanor that prevents things from becoming too overwhelming. "We have two different personality types. He’s the laid-back one. I’m the Type-A one," Hope said. “It works out really well because Hope is the planner with all of the notes and I’m the guy who’s like, ‘OK what do you want done next?’ ” Scott said. “Without Hope and that personality of planning and structure ... it would not have been pulled off without Hope’s talents and abilities.” n
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Photos by Amy Reeves Halstead
Joy Unspeakable By Gabrie l Perry She never meant to write a book. She wouldn’t even describe herself as a literature buff — she’s always been more interested in science. But that changed after popular posts on social media and divine intervention. Summit native and resident Missy Brewer Carruth penned “Joy: Recognizing Joy Within Every Chapter of Life,” a book providing reminders of the importance of a relationship with Jesus Christ. Covenant Books, a Christian publishing house in South Carolina, published the book. Carruth took the long road to join the masterclass of authors with roots in Mississippi. She graduated from Parklane Academy in 1996 and attended Ole Miss, where she competed on the varsity tennis team. She graduated in 2000, the same year she won the “Miss Ole Miss” pageant. “It was never an aspiration of mine,” she said. “It clearly has been the result of obedience to a divine calling.” She was hired as a pharmaceutical sales representative upon graduation from college and started her work in the private sector. “I’m a science nerd,” she said. “But God connected the dots.”
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Her work in the pharmaceutical industry led her to write the book. She said it was on her frequent travels that she began writing down her thoughts and feelings about her faith. “I work as a pharma rep, so there’s a lot of travel,” she said. “I was traveling through north Mississippi and I was just flooded with reminders of joy in every little moment.” She started recording her thoughts and eventually expanded to expressing them on social media. She found she quickly garnered attention with her posts on the topics of religion and identity. “I made posts that served as a reminder to slow down and see the true joy in each experience,” she said. “The book gives an intimate glimpse into recognizing that joy.” She said that after keeping track of several periods of her life in that way, her mother suggested she pen a book. “I kept recording chapters of my life,” she said. “Before I knew it, I had a manuscript.” Carruth contacted Christian publishing companies with submissions of her manuscript. She didn’t expect much to come out of it and was thrilled to hear back from Covenant Books. “It was overwhelming and exciting,” she said. “I was extremely humbled.”
Missy Brewer Carruth signs copies of her book: “Joy: Recognizing Joy Within Every Chapter of Life,” recently at Friendgirl Things. Pictured above are her family, Hastings, Carlyle, Brewer and Jeff. Missy Brewer Carruth, with daughter, Carlyle, signs book for Barbara Willis. She said she never expected to hear back but was happy about how the process worked out. “I was thrilled with the opportunity,” she said. “It is unexplainable.” Carruth said her lack of interest in English and language arts is an example of divine intervention on behalf of her book. “I’m super thankful,” she said. “His plan is much more detailed than mine.” She said writing the book wouldn’t have been possible without the support of her family, friends and neighbors. “I’m so thankful for my family and my friends for all the support and encouragement they gave me,” she said. Now that the book is actually out there, the author said she hopes it’s impact will be felt broadly among readers. “My true hope is to point readers to the true genuine joy found in a relationship between a person and Jesus Christ,” she said. “You need to find the joy scripted in your own life.” She said that’s a lot easier when we slow down and appreciate the little things in life.
“It’s neat when we slow everything down and really appreciate it,” she said. She said she often tells people that she hopes readers see Jesus, not her, when they pick up the book. “I pray that anyone who looks at the book will see Christ,” she said. “I truly want to reflect Him in all aspects of my life.” The book is a testament to the importance of a close relationship with Jesus Christ, she said. “This book is a personal journey of recognizing joy within every chapter of life,” she said. “In an intimate glimpse within the very pages of each chapter, I share the details of my victorious ongoing journey — a journey filled with immeasurable blessings, pages of heartache and pain, chapters of triumph and failure, undeserving grace and mercy, beautiful love and redemption, and a victorious ending of eternal joy.” She hopes readers will find value in the book and reflect upon their own relationship with God, she said. “So much seemed important,” she said. “But genuine joy is found in recognizing that your identity can be found in Christ alone.” n 2020 Bridal Issue
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Artist of the Quarter
Gregg Harbison somewhat of a Renaissance man
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Gregg Harbison designed his statue of McComb native and rock ‘n’ roll pioneer Bo Diddley. It’s located next to the downtown McComb pavilion named in Diddley’s honor. 2020 Bridal Issue
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Engineer to Artist
Statue of Vasti Jackson that stands on the corner of Georgia Avenue and Summit Street that Gregg Harbison designed.
By Mack Spe ncer Vasti Jackson’s statue might not be standing near the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Summit Street without Gregg Harbison, at least not in its current form. While he didn’t make or paint the metal, two-dimensional rendering, he did use photographs and work with Jackson to create a cardboard template from which the metal form was cut by Southwest Mississippi Community College students.
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The diminutive Jackson asked Harbison to make the statue’s legs, bent at the knees, a little longer. “I told him, if they were straightened out, he’d be over six feet tall,” Harbison said with a laugh. “He said, ‘I’m OK with that.’” So, longer legs he got. “Vasti is a really nice guy,” Harbison said. “I can’t think of a better person to work with.” Harbison is a nice guy in his own right, and somewhat the Renaissance man in his expertise and interests. His work for 41 years was as a cardboard packaging engineer in the same plant for three different companies — Hankins Containers, McMillan Bloedel and Weyerhaeuser, though the plant is now owned by International Paper. He developed structural designs for packaging of products ranging from insulin needles to 500 pounds of raw rubber. “I created whatever the cusGregg Harbison tomer wanted for display or transport,” Harbison said. “The hazardous materials were the worst.” While engineers are often lampooned as logical, serious and uncreative, Harbison’s job allowed for creativity in the packaging design and logos and other artwork for the packaging. He made time for creative pursuits outside of his day job, as well. “I’m always doing something,” he said. “I’ll try anything. I can’t sing, but I write songs. I’ve done that since ’82. I haven’t done anything major, but I’ve got a gospel record and a blues record.” The pressed vinyl discs for both hang on the wall in his den. He spent 18 years running a gunsmith’s shop as a side business, etching intricate designs into barrels or stock decorations, and inlaying metal design accents into wooden stocks. In the traditional visual arts, Harbison is experienced in charcoal and pen-and-ink drawing, as well as acrylic and oil painting. Historically, his work has been realist, but he has started to dabble in the abstract.
“I’ve been trying modern art,” he said. “It’s like Glenn Miller looking for his sound. I’m looking for the style of my abstracts.” Lately he has worked almost exclusively in watercolor, a medium he hated at first and struggled to get right. He had no lessons or workshops on how to work in watercolor, and “when I first tried it, it just turned brown. There was no brightness,” he said. “I didn’t know how to mix the colors. I just put them on the paper.” He learned by reading up on proper technique with watercolor and, of course, practice. “Contrast is what makes any painting work,” he said. “Light direction is very important. It just takes a little thought.” Many of his watercolor works are human and animal portraits, which have their own special quirks. “Most of my portraits are pretty pale,” Harbison said. “I have done a few African-Americans, and they’re different as day and night, no pun intended.” Outside of his commissioned work, anything might put an idea in Harbison’s mind for a painting or drawing subject. “My inspirations are spontaneous,” he said. “ I don’t know
Some of Harbison’s recent artwork.
how to describe it. I see things that aren’t really there when I look at some things.” As an example, he pointed out a pillow with bright flowers. He said the flowers don’t draw all his attention. “I see into the background, the leaves and color behind it all,” he said. “I can see things in rocks. That’s what I’m attuned to.” n
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Seasoned with love When I was asked if I would write a food column for the wedding issue of Pulse, I replied an immidiate yes, reminding editors that I am the wedding queen. I have been marrried more than once. I am not ANN saying how may times here JACKSON in print, but let’s just say I have married more than CLEAN my share of husbands. PLATES When life gives you n lemons you make lemonade and that is what I try to do every day.
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There is no more an exciting time in a woman’s life than when the right man asks her to be his wife. And then the fun begins — picking a date for the wedding, inviting friends you want to stand beside you, the attire you want to wear, your color scheme. All of this is necessary and time-consuming. It is a time for you to gather your thoughts and make sensible decisions, such as cost of wedding, to take a honeymoon or wait, to have a reception and so on. Do not get overcome with unnecessary worry. Enjoy this time and your fiancé.
Southwest Mississippi has several great caterers and bakers who create gorgeous wedding cakes. I highly recommend you use a local talent to help you make the choices and have the wedding you visualized. It is so much easier to communicate with local vendors. Don’t get so involved with wedding planners that you forget to give your betrothed lots of love and attention. Cook a candlelight dinner for him and encourage him to cook for you every once in a while. If your man is a fisherman or a hunter, encourage him to let you cook his bounty or
teach him how to cook it. Present him with a gift of your homemade Creole seasoning to use on fish or meat. Men love this seasoning and you will too. Take care of your relationship and you will have a long and happy marriage. CREOLE SEASONING FOR SEAFOOD 1/2 cup salt 1/4 cup granulated garlic 1/4 cup ground black pepper 2 Tbs. cayenne pepper 2 Tbs. thyme 2 Tbs. oregano 1/2 tsp. Paprika 3 Tbs. of onion powder Combine all ingredients and mix well. Makes 2 cups CREOLE SEASONING FOR MEAT 1 Cup salt 3/4 cups granulated garlic 3/4 cup black pepper 1/2 tsp. Of cayenne pepper or to tase 1/4 cup paprika Combine all and mix thoroughly. Makes 3 cups. Pour into a large jar, seal tightly. It keeps indefinitely. n
Present him with a gift of your homemade Creole seasoning to use on fish or meat. Men love this seasoning and you will too.
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Pulse points District Footwear
Owners Alaa Zaben and Napoleon Aguilar opened business on Delware Avenue recently.
District Footwear, located at 1211 Delaware Avenue in McComb boasts a wide-range of shoes including the hottest models. It also sells streetwear items from many of the top brands. The store sets itself apart by also selling school uniforms.
The Vintage Hydrangea
Vintage Hydrangea store manager Pamela Brister displays items for sale. The Vintage Hydrangea, located at 903 S. Locust St., in McComb, offers many clothing options for everyone. The store focuses on ladies’ clothing and accessories including bags, which are a big attraction to the store. It also sells religiousthemed clothing and homemade food items.
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McAlister’s Deli
Miss Hospitality Gina Van Norman visits the new McAlister’s Deli located on Delaware Avenue.
Known for its famous sweet tea and deli fare, McAlister’s Deli has opened in McComb. The company, which was founded in Oxford and has stores all over the South, saw potential in McComb’s market and opened Dec. 9 on the corner of Delaware Avenue and Rainbow Way.
McComb’s city administrator Dirkland Smith makes a visit to the new McAlister’s Deli.
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