From the Publisher
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ack in the 1990s, Carl Lazenby prepared for his lengthy radio career by spending a couple of years as a reporter at the Enterprise-Journal. It wasn’t long after he arrived that he started turning in feature stories and photos about — of all things — cemeteries. The rest of us in the newsroom were younger, in our 20s and 30s, and couldn’t figure out what he saw in the burial grounds. Honestly, we also were surprised by the enthusiastic response to Carl’s stories from readers. I specifically remember County Judge Thad Leggett praising me for running the cemetery stories, even though in truth I had little to do with it. That was Carl’s beat. Now, in my 50s, I better understand why cemeteries interest people. They are indeed fascinating places, so when I saw the story in this issue about Darrell Chunn, who wants to photograph all the burial plots in Pike County and uses dowsing rods to search for burial sites, it made me think of good old Carl, who died in November 2017. This is a story he would enjoy, and so will you.
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Little Leaguers love the game! Summer sports activities keep youngsters busy.
In this issue: In step with: Tami Dangerfield
Portrait Painter
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Seeking the dead Local resident enjoys searching for graves
Publisher - Jack Ryan Editor - Matt Williamson Advertising Manager - Vicky Deere
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Advertising sales-
LeWair Foreman, Tam Greene, Debra Moore, Jennifer Price & Sheila Wallace.
Acquired taste
18 Artist also loves painting abstracts!
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 11, Issue 1
Hog head cheese Gone Hog Wild! 4
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Ann Jackson shares recipe for delicacy
On the cover:
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Elijah Martin of the Pike County Allstars makes a leaping grab at a recent tournament game.
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The water’s just fine
Tubers and kayakers unload at the Highway 98 boat ramp as they begin a float down the Bogue Chitto River.
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A wooden sign and office building mark entrance to Bogue Chitto Water Park at 1068 Dogwood Trail off Highway 98 East, McComb.
Not floating away Bogue Chitto Water Park picking up speed By Ernest Herndon s bus after bus after bus of floaters pulled up to the Highway 98 boat ramp for an afternoon float down to Bogue Chitto Water Park one Saturday in June, it was hard to believe the park had been essentially dead in the water just a few weeks earlier.
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On this broiling weekend, Gator’s Tubing & Canoeing brought mobs of floaters to the put-in — people young and old, white and black, male and female, wearing swimsuits and cutoffs. “It’s the best place ever,” said Ben Spisak of Lafayette, La., holding a big cigar. “The people, the water, the beauty.” “The nature and the scenery,” added buddy Luke Abramson of New Orleans.
“The awareness of God’s beauty,” contributed Spisak’s wife Candy. “Fellowship. Having fun — clean.” They didn’t talk long — they needed to join the throng carrying black inner tubes down to the river to mingle with colorful plastic kayaks for the 2-mile float to the water park boat ramp.
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Up until this past Memorial Day, the park had been closed for months, and not just because of the winter. The Pearl River Basin Development District, which owned it, had been steadily losing funding and announced plans to fold by the end of June. Accordingly, it needed to turn over its properties to local governments — in this case the Pike County Board of Supervisors. Meanwhile, a branch of local government called Scenic Rivers Development Alliance was petitioning the Legislature to become a political subdivision of the state so it could manage Bogue Chitto and other area parks. Scenic Rivers, as it’s called, is funded by area counties with the goal of promoting economic development through outdoor recreation throughout southwest Mississippi.
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James Henry of Hattiesburg enjoys some peace and quiet while waiting for friends to float down to the boat ramp.
The ultimate plan was for Pike County supervisors to accept ownership of the park, then turn it over to Scenic Rivers to operate. Until then, the park re-
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mained closed. Dead in the water. n n n In February, the ball got rolling when Gov. Phil Bryant
signed the bill making Scenic Rivers a state agency. House Bill 1525 authorized the organization to manage parks, own land and issue bonds, among other things.
Children play on a water slide set up by group campers beside the park pavilion. “This legislation will strengthen the ability of Scenic Rivers to continue the promotion of tourism and economic development throughout the Southwest Mississippi area,” said Rep. Sam Mims V, R-McComb. “All area legislators supported this measure.” “Becoming a political subdivision of the state and a separate political entity allows us to do several things,” Scenic Rivers director Joseph Parker said. “It allows us to manage facilities like Bogue Chitto Water Park, which we’re not eligible to do through the interlocal agreement.” Parker compared the Scenic Rivers Alliance to the PUL Alliance for Pontotoc, Union and Lee counties, and the Golden Triangle Planning and Development District in the ColumbusStarkville-West Point area. Pike County supervisors accepted ownership of the park and drew up an agreement authorizing Scenic Rivers to operate it. That agreement required approval by the state Attorney General.
In the meantime the weather warmed up and people wanted to float the river, one of the most popular in the state. So supervisors held a “soft opening” for Memorial Day weekend, allowing group camping and boat ramp access only, no day use or individual camping. Unfortunately, 80 percent chance of thunderstorms that weekend kept most people off the river, as did the bright orange “closed” placards that were still attached to the Bogue Chitto Water Park signs on Highway 98. Things were looking better by mid-June. “It’s all right,” said Jenette Perry of Gator’s. “But those closed signs up on the road, people think I’m closed. It’s hurting my business.” Even so, park employees said 250 people had come through the gates in an hour’s time, mainly group members going to float the river. And the signs were later removed.
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Floating along Tubers embark at the Highway 98 bridge for an afternoon’s float to the water park.
Most tubers float the 2 miles from Highway 98 to the park boat ramp, stopping to swim and lollygag on a sandbar along the way. Canoers and kayakers usually prefer to launch at the Holmesville bridge 6 miles upstream. A few paddle from the water park 5 miles down to Walker’s Memorial Water Park off Highway 48. n n n While Spisak, Abramson and the rest of the crowd launched their inner tubes and kayaks at Highway 98, many more in their group were hanging out under the big pavilion at the water park, chatting, listening to music, grilling. A dog napped in the shade by a Harley-Davidson. A mother swung her baby in a cloth
cradle. A pair of children plunged down a giant inflatable water slide the campers had set up. Down at the boat ramp, James Henry of Hattiesburg sat by himself in shallow water, enjoying the peace and quiet of the woods and water as he waited for his friends to arrive. “It’s great,” Henry said. “The people here are friendly.” Scenic Rivers officials got word that very weekend that the A.G. had approved the agreement, which meant the park should open fully later this summer. That’s good news to Henry, who’s visiting the water park for the first time. “I’ll come out here on a regular basis and camp,” he said. n
Bogue Chitto River floats • Highway 570 to Highway 44, 4 miles. Difficult access at both locations. • Highway 44 to Holmesville, 7 miles. Access Holmesville from northwest side of bridge. • Holmesville to Highway 98, 4 miles. Ramp at 98 is on the southeast side.
Highway 48, 5 miles. To get to Walker’s, take the first road south of Highway 48 west of the bridge, go half a mile and turn left into the park. • Walker’s to Stallings Bridge Road west of Lexie, 6 miles. Rough access at Stallings on the southeast side.
• Stallings to Dillon Bridge west • Highway 98 to ramp at Bogue of Highway 27 south of Lexie, 3 Chitto Water Park, 2 miles. miles. Access at Canoe & Trail Outpost just below the bridge • Water park to ramp at Walk- on the east bank. er’s Memorial Water Park off
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In step with:
Tami Dangerfield By Matt Wi lliamson f you’re looking for the boss in Pike County government, the buck stops with the board of supervisors, which is made up of five officials elected from different districts in the county. But if you’re looking for who really runs the show, that would be Tanuyon “Tami” Dangerfield, who marked her first anniversary as county administrator on July 10.
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al budget as well as determining the property tax levy that will be required to fund it. It also includes setting the agenda for each board meeting and making sure minutes are recorded the business of the board is carried out afterwards. The administrator also must advise on the financial condition and the future needs of the county and oversee county properties to make sure they are well maintained. If it seems like a lot, that’s because it is, Dangerfield said. She took over county administration after Daniel Calcote resigned last year to take a job at King’s Daughters Medical Center. Calcote was the third administrator with whom Dangerfield worked during her 30 years with the county. The others were Andrew Alford, who now leads finances at Southwest Mississippi Community College, and now-District 3 Supervisor Chuck Lambert. “The fact that I’ve worked with most of them for many years, our relationships are such it’s comfortable in asking them for help,” she said. Dangerfield, the daughter of educators, grew up in Magnolia and graduated from South Pike High School.
‘Even with a strong financial background, you will have to have that background in government.’ Tami Dangerfield The job, as its title might indicate, is an all-encompassing, 24-7 whirlwind of bureaucracy, accountancy, supervision and governance. Asked for a brief description of it, Dangerfield pulled out a law book and flipped to the section of Mississippi Code that specifically spells out the duties of the county administrator — “to administer all of the county affairs pertaining to the board of supervisors and carry out the policies of the board.” That includes preparing the annu-
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She went to work as a part-time purchasing agent for the county in 1988 after graduating from Alcorn State University with a business degree. Her parents were friends with former Supervisor A. Marks, who suggested she try going to work for the county after she finished college, so she contacted then-chancery clerk Joel Barr, who hired her. “That’s when the county went to the unit system by popular vote,” she said, referring to the system of county government in which resources are centrally administered, as opposed to the former “beat” system in which supervisors oversaw their own resources. “I just kind of inherited it and learned from scratch the unit system.” Dangerfield said the county administrator’s job could best be translated to the private sector as the county’s CEO — minus the millionaire salaries some CEOs are known to receive. That’s not to say someone from the private sector could easily come in and do her job, she said. “Even with a strong financial background, you still have to have that background in government,” she said. Besides being the county’s financial guru, Dangerfield often is the first person in county government the general public speaks to in order to try to resolve a problem.
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The thing I’ve had to adjust to most is time management. It seems like there’s never enough time in a day.
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Tami Dangerfield as county administrator handles all ounty affairs pertaining to the board of supervisors and carries out the policies of the board. “The other part of this job is you hear complaints from the public. This is the first office they talk to before they talk to the board,” Dangerfield said. Dangerfield remembers hearing a lot of those complaints from residents when she was purchasing agent and sitting in on board meetings, but that’s a totally different perspective compared to her job now. “There’s nothing like hearing it first-hand and they want it fixed right now,” she said. Going from purchasing agent to county administrator was a big adjustment, not only in the diversity of the work in the current position but also from carrying the burden of just how important it is to make sure county government functions. Dangerfield, who is married and has an adult daughter, admitted that her work hours and work week almost never seem to end lately. “The thing I’ve had to adjust to most is time management,” she
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said. “It seems like there’s never enough time in a day.” She’s hoping to get settled into a place of familiarity and comfort with the job, but she knows she must first get through the fall and summer, when the county writes its multimillion-dollar budget. “I’m hopeful after we get through his budget period ... I’m looking for that to ease up a bit,” she said of her frantic schedule. And with the job of preparing a county budget looming large, Dangerfield said it’s truly an “awesome task” knowing that she’ll be the one who’s responsible for making sure the county has enough money on which to operate. “It’s on me to assist the supervisors to make sure the revenues and expenditures are here,” she said, adding that as she eases into fiscal planning, “we’re going to take a conservative approach.” Lambert, the county supervisor who once had the position, said Dangerfield is excelling in the position considering it’s just her
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first year. “Comparing her first year to my first year, she is far and ahead of where I was,” he said. Lambert, whose tenure as
county administrator and later as supervisor overlapped with much of Dangerfield’s career with the county, said she was easily the right choice for county administrator. “I think she’s done a great job,” he said. “Tami is a very intelligent, very professional individual who takes her job very professionally and always has.” n
Artist of the quarter Anna Dancsisin’s talent shines in portraits, abstracts 18
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Artist’s statement: I am a contemporary painter born in Jackson and raised in southwest Mississippi where I currently work from my studio in Summit. I discovered my love to create at an early age through the influence of my family, as I was exposed to art and experienced art daily and consequently began my creative journey. Through the years this love deepened and I soon realized that it was more than just a love for creating. I found myself driven to express myself and my heartfelt emotions and passions through my drawings and paintings. I was keenly aware that God was calling me to pursue painting as a full-time career. Following a decision to major in art, I first studied drawing at Mississippi State University and then completed my BFA degree in painting from William Carey University. The style of my paintings can best be described as a blend of abstract and impressionism. I have a deep spiritual connection with nature and my surroundings, which is what inspires me in my work. It is my desire with each piece to reflect this connection and spiritual moment and convey it to the viewers so that they may also be drawn in to experience their own spiritual connection and meditative process. Through the use of soft and subtle colors accented with vibrant hues, I wish to portray a feeling of peace and tranquility with expressions of joy and delight. I often incorporate playful brush strokes and patterns of color, light and reflections to give my work an expressive sense of movement that makes the heart dance and sing. — Anna Dancsisin
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Portrait of an artist By Mack Spe ncer nna Dancsisin’s work might be considered to be at two extremes of the art world. Her job, as far as what pays the bills for now, is portraiture, which she produces in vibrant colors and a realism that tempts one to think the subject is about to step out of the canvas. Her love, however, is painting abstracts, also in bright colors, that evoke joy and sensitivity. They’re a love and a living that might never have been. “When I was little, I said I wouldn’t paint,” Dancsisin said. “I hated it. I don’t know what happened, exactly, but something got turned on.” Art generally, and particularly, almost had to have some hold on her life. Dancsisin’s mother, Jan, studied with renowned Mississippi artist and Summit native Marie Hull, and has been an art teacher for 30 years. Anna, 26, grew up seeing her mother produce her own art and give lessons in a home festooned with art, and confessed to some envy and disappointment that she could not study with Hull, who died in 1980. Home was also loaded with books on art history, and “I was drawn to those,” Dancsisin said. “I liked to look at the pictures. I don’t know how much I actually read, but those books provided some inspiration at a very young age.” Her initial life plan was not being a painter but a medical illustrator, but that fell by the wayside as she continued artistic training. Though she loves painting abstracts, she noted that even realistic paintings can have abstract features. “You can’t reproduce anything exactly, so
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While many artists insist on “painting from life,” with subjects sitting for their portraits as the artist paints, that’s not how Dancsisin works. “I do it the convenient way,” she said, from photographs that she often views on her phone as she paints. “I should really print the photos out big and paint from that, but on the phone you can zoom in, at least.” The photographs are especially convenient for the children’s portraits she paints, she said. “I don’t know how I would keep them still,” she said. “I’m not trained that way. Maybe I could learn with practice.” Wedding portraits, also from photographs, are a large part of Dancsisin’s repertoire as well. Her abstract paintings, however, aren’t in Anna Dancsisin of Summit is pictured near one need of that kind of source material. of her abstract paintings. Abstract painting “is all about the process,” realistic paintings are abstract in their own she said. “Music inspires me while I paint. way,” Dancsisin said. Color itself is an inspiration. ... I get in my She counts the great French Impressionist studio with some tunes, and I get in the zone, artist Claude Monet as one of her “artist heand get vulnerable. roes” from whom she draws inspiration, espe“The thing about abstract art is that not cially for his use and depiction of light. everybody may like it, but it’s about what the It’s worth noting that Impressionism is an heart feels.” early form of abstraction in art, and while One abstract piece she finished recently Monet is best known for his landscapes of the took a year to complete, she said, because “I gardens of Giverny, France, Monet and other wanted each moment spent on it to be a joyImpressionists also painted portraits. ful moment. It took a solid year to feel like it “I love how Impressionist painters painted was done.” portraits,” Dancsisin said. “I appreciate the reWhile she would like to have her art disally realistic, but I don’t want to paint like played and on sale in galleries, fame and forthat.” tune are not her desire. She said her studies at Mississippi State “It’s not my passion to become famous,” University and William Carey University did Dancsisin said. “I’d like to be in small galnot include much instruction on painting leries, but I don’t really want to be in musepeople, so she taught herself by observing the ums. That’s not my thing. works of others and discovering other artists’ “I don’t care if I become a famous name. I techniques by watching YouTube videos. just want to make people happy.” n
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Game on! All-Star baseball action a rite of summer
Pike County 7-year-old All-Stars compete in the district tournament against Linbcoln County in Brookhaven. Photo by Chuck Barnes
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Pike County 6-year-old All-Stars square off with Natchez during the district tournament in Summit. Photo By Rick Wells
Youth baseball brings out family, fans McComb and the Windsor Gay youth Complex in Summit with n entire side of the some fans in attendance. bleachers filled with parThe all-star season begins in ents wearing Columbia late June, and hordes of parents blue T-shirts is a sign that and grandparents routinely show the Dixie Youth baseball All-Star up, sometimes traveling from season has returned. The regular hours away to support the teams youth baseball season begins in during the various tournaments, March, with games a couple times starting with the district tournaper week at Edgewood Park in ment.
By Jordan Arce ne aux
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Flocks of families meet up at the local ballparks in preparation for the big games. Everyone is decked out in Pike County fan gear with items ranging from ice chests to tents to protect from the unrelenting heat. The age range for Dixie Youth baseball in Pike County is from 6 to 12 years old. However, the desire to play on an all-star team might be more common with the older kids, according to 6-and-under Pike County All-Star coach Steven Williams. “I don’t think the kids think that much of it at 6,” he said following a win in the opening game of the district tournament in Summit. “I don’t think they thought about it a whole lot. My league team is one of the funnest teams I’ve ever coached this year. The little Enterprise-Journal team. They are all going to be really good ball players in the future.” Kenny Speed, who helped coach the Pike County Nationals 8-and-under team to a district championship, said the talent level is elevated during the all-star season and the players understand what’s at stake. “These kids understand it. They realize because we’ll play warm-up games, practice games and warm-up tournaments, and
‘We stress to them that this is all-star. Every team is going to be a good team and every kid is going to be a good player. There’s not time to sit back and relax.’
A coach high-fives a player during district tournament action in Summit. Photo by Rick Wells
Kenny Speed, coach they see the talent level overall has stepped up,” he said. “We stress to them that this is all-star. Every team is going to be a good team and every kid is going to be a good player. There’s not time to sit back and relax. “It’s each town’s best players and it’s a pride thing. You want to represent your town, your county, your community and show out when you get the opportunity. They know there’s a reward after each step. There’s something for those kids to play for, and it excites them.”
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The rewards include a possible trip to the state tournament, as well as the world series, contingent upon how high the team finishes in the previous tournament. Pike County’s 7-year-old allstar coach Josh Boyd reiterated how the level of play and excitement changes when the scene changes from Edgewood Park to different venues such as the Lincoln Civic Center Baseball Complex in Brookhaven, where Boyd’s team captured the district crown. “When you get down to it, once you get to all stars, it’s the best of the best,” he said. “You have the group of guys who know how to play and want to play. We instill that when we play, we’re not only representing ourselves, but Pike County as well. These kids take it to heart to represent their community.”
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Pike County players celebrate after winning the 7-year-old district tournament. (Photo by Chuck Barnes)
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Another aspect of the post-regular season action is the growth that the players show throughout the course of the season and how it is on full display during all-star time. “Anytime you get a chance to coach kids, it is amazing because you get to spend two months where you get to learn them, you get to see how they react,” said Chris Wells, who is Williams’ assistant with the 6-year-old squad. “How they progress throughout the season is what’s rewarding and that’s what brings a smile to anyone’s face.” In addition, many coaches like Wells have a balancing act to handle between coach and dad. “That’s the tough part, but my goal is to be on the field and anybody else watching, to not know who my kid is,” Wells said whose son is on the 6-year-old all-star team. “You don’t want them to know any favoritism. You put the best player in the best position. It’s all about team effort.” n
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Buried secrets
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Holmesville man preserves Pike cemetery details By Ernest Herndon ver used a pair of dowsing rods to search for buried human bodies? Darrell Chunn hadn’t until a few months ago, and he’s been exploring Pike County cemeteries for 20 years. The 79-year-old genealogist had been reading about dowsing rods and decided to make his own. He took two short pieces of plastic pipe for handles, bent two steel rods into L shapes and inserted the short ends into the pipe, loose enough to swivel. Holding the rods pointing straight out in front, he walks over a patch of bare ground on the back side of Holmesville Cemetery, where he suspects there are dozens of unmarked graves. In short order the two rods swivel to-
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ward the center to form an X. The grass is darker and the ground a bit sunken here, so the rods appear to be correct. But that’s not all. Setting one rod aside, Chunn dangles the other from his finger. In a few seconds it starts to rotate. According to dowsing lore, clockwise means the deceased is a male, counterclockwise is female. “I didn’t believe it. I came out here and did people that I know. It never failed,” Chunn said. “It took me a long time to believe it. I spent half a day going around doing women and men, and it was never wrong.” The presence of unmarked graves isn’t that surprising. Chunn has a chart of the Holmesville Cemetery, and a large part of it is blank. “From here back to the clearing there’s that many unmarked graves,” he says.
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Darrell Chunn holds a map of Holmesville Cemetery, which includes lots of blank space where unmarked graves are likely located.
“The old people, when they died a long time ago, they didn’t have any money to buy stones or anything. They might have put up a cross.” In fact, dowsing rods tell Chunn that people are buried all along the gravel entrance road at the front of the cemetery. A skeptical reporter tries the rods out. He deliberately walks over adjacent land that’s not part of the cemetery, and the rods remain pointed forward. Then he re-enters the cemetery, and before long the rods swivel sharply toward the center. Next he dangles a rod from his finger. It begins to rotate clockwise. But when he tries it over a place where there’s no grave, it remains still. Chunn doesn’t know why they work, but he’s convinced they do. Dowsing is a small part of his
passion, which is taking photos of every gravestone in Pike County and recording information about the deceased. He compiles the information in scrapbooks — stacks and stacks of scrapbooks — that he keeps at his house in Holmesville. “I don’t know how to put anything online,” Chunn says. “I was 70 when I had my first computer, so I didn’t learn much. But I do know how to find dead people.” He started off writing down information from tombstones but later learned to glean the data from newspaper obituaries and genealogical records at the library. It may seem unimaginable to take a photo of every grave in the county, but Chunn is dead serious.
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Chunn looks over signs for old-time landmarks he keeps in his house and displays at historical occasions. “There’s 16,000 graves at Hollywood Cemetery. I’ve done Hollywood twice, and that’s 32,000 right there,” he says. He goes to cemeteries large and small. “There’s 27 (cemeteries) right here in Holmesville,” he says. “It doesn’t take long to take pictures. But we’ve got a lot of cemeteries with four or five graves in Holmesville.” One of his scrapbooks contains photos and information on 15 cemeteries.
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Another might be filled with just one. The books cover tables and fill a walk-in closet. “I’m going to give it to the library when I die,” Chunn says of the collection. He’s had five heart attacks and a stroke so he doesn’t get out quite as much as he used to, trying to avoid the heat of the day. And he spends many hours in libraries poring over obits. Chunn records other history as well.
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Dousing rods cross over the likely site of an unmarked grave in Holmesville Cemetery. He’s made wooden signs for old communities and historic sites once located throughout the area. He’s made drawings of old buildings, having learned to draw at Southwest Mississippi Community College in the 1950s. “I didn’t draw for 55 years till I started back,” he says. He also has a collection of old photos, all at his Holmesville house. He got interested in local history when “my daddy died and a couple weeks later somebody asked me a question about it and I said, ‘I don’t know, but I’ll find out.’ ” Chunn had an electrical busi-
ness on Harper Street in McComb until he retired. He and his late wife JoAnn also had a hospice ministry. Though he lived in McComb most of his life, he has a special affinity for Holmesville. “I like the history here,” he says. “I’d have loved to live here in those days, I believe.” Chunn traces his ancestry to England. “My people came from North Carolina. They come on a boat in 1774,” he says. He knows where he will end up, too — buried beside his wife in a double grave at Holmesville Cemetery. n 2018 Summer Issue
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It’s exactly what it sounds like
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But hog’s head cheese tastes better than it sounds t was approximately 30 years ago that we enlarged the café that we had opened at the Lake Motel by taking in our family’s great room. The attached walls surrounding the patio were built of sandstone taken from the hill behind the motel. It was a gorgeous spot, especially to serve dinner. I added metal tables and chairs, and it quickly became a favorite spot for many of our regular customers to dine. Two of the main lovers of this space were Louise and Larry Fitzgerald, who each week brought their adorable toddler Lauren to enjoy this unique natural setting.
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Larry was the head of the sales department of Weyerhauser and liked to often bring his sales group for dinner. ANN He would call me JACKSON ahead and order huge platters of CLEAN his two favorite PLATES appetizers—fried n baby soft shell crabs and the hugely popular alligator ribs. The alligator ribs on our menu came about when close friend Bart Haddad began working for Restaurant Food Service. Bart called Ma and asked if he could come by and pick my brain
about a new item he had to sell. Of course I am always open to a challenge, plus I was excited about having a new appetizer on the menu. I must say when Bart walked in with alligator ribs, I was befuddled. What in the world could I do with alligator ribs? I asked him to leave a case and let me experiment. That night I marinated them for several hours, breaded them, and then deep fried them in hot oil. They were a success! Bart was thrilled, and so was I. I told him the success of the ribs was due to my secret marinade—Italian dressing. As soon as Larry tried the ribs,
they became one of his favorite items to serve to his salespeople. Every time, he hired someone new, he would entertain his whole group at the restaurant. I eventually knew and liked all of his sales force. It was in the spring when they came in to celebrate a newly hired salesman, Bill Richardson. I liked Bill immediately, and he loved Lake Dixie Springs immediately. The next day he was back to the lake searching for a place to rent. Deb Penton and I were cruising the lake in our family’s pontoon boat when I saw that blaze of red hair shining from one of the lake’s piers.
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Crystal Watts holds a package of her hog’s head cheese at the Liberty Farmers Market. We steered the pontoon boat over, and I introduced Deb to Bill. We began another cruise around the lake, and these two cruised into a great love story. The three of us made many road trips to Amite, La., and further south. It was on one of these trips that we discovered a small former gas station that had been converted into a seafood shop. It was north of Amite on Highway 51. As we entered the building, we saw a huge pot standing by the door. The three of us were curious and looked to see what was boiling. It was a massive hog’s head! We soon learned that the talented cook at this seafood shop made some of the best hog’s head cheese around. We loved it and continued to make this trip often to get his cheese. I especially liked the fact that he used a large amount of green onions. I have recently learned that Jewel and Crystal Watts of Amite County make and sell hog’s head cheese at our farmer’s market in McComb. I am thrilled and plan to meet them soon. We are extremely lucky to have such a great market in out community. It is held downtown each Thursday, and it opens at 8 a.m. You will be pleased and surprised at the wonderful variety of vegetables, plants, jellies, fruit, and yes, hog’s head cheese. If you decide to make your own, please add lots of green onions to this recipe!
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Hog’s Head Cheese 1 chilled hog’s head (Have your butcher quarter and remove brain, ears, eyes, and tissue.) 4 hog’s feet 4 cloves chopped garlic 2 lbs. pork roast (Remove fat.) 1 cup chopped onion salt & pepper to taste 1 pkg. unflavored gelatin chopped parsley & green onions Wash head and feet well in cold water. Put head, feet, garlic, pork roast, and onions in large pot. Cover with water. Boil until meat falls off the bone. Remove meat and chop or grind. Cook broth down to about two quarts or less. Strain and place meat and broth in a saucepan. Season with salt and pepper. Add package of gelatin softened in a little water. Cook about 15 minutes. Add chopped parsley, chopped onion tops, and pimento, if desired. Pour into any shape mold. If making for a party, add sliced olives to bottom of mold. n
2018 Summer Issue
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By Stetson Payne here’s a sign inside Sweet Southern Nutrition, long before the menu or the counter. “Nothing looks as good as healthy feels.” Eden Wallace lives by the sign with every shake and energy tea she makes. Set up in downtown Summit, Sweet Southern Nutrition opened in April, and Wallace said it already has a dedicated following. Not only an owner and operator, Wallace bought in to the business model before she wanted her own store. While working in Brookhaven with she and her husband’s construction company, Wallace discovered Experience Nutrition. With no background in nutrition, she became a regular at the store. Wallace said she saw immediate results and decided to open her own store. She said she wanted a store in Pike County to offer healthier
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choices in the community. “We’re trying to get them in all these small little towns to offer those healthy options,” Wallace said. “There’s nothing healthy anywhere. Every corner is a McDonald’s or Burger King, but there’s no healthy options anywhere.” The shakes at Sweet Southern Nutrition come standard with 24 grams of protein powder and two scoops of healthy meal. Wallace said because the healthy meal keeps carb and calorie counts low in the shake, she can add a scoop of pudding. With a helping of ice and sugar free flavor syrup, Wallace said the pudding takes away any chalky taste from the powder. Only one of Wallace’s shakes has any fruit. The half of a strawberry adds two grams of sugar and two carbs, Wallace said. The fan favorite is the “Pretty in Pink” snack drink. Tasting like pink Starburst candy, Wallace said the drink and its 16 grams of protein is easily the most popular.
2018 Summer Issue
For every flavor, powder and blend at Sweet Southern Nutrition, Wallace stands by it. If Wallace hasn’t tried it, she hasn’t put it on the shelf. “I didn’t do it for money or anything,” Wallace said. “I did it because I knew how good everything was, how healthy everything was and how everything made me feel ... You have to be your own advertisement.” Beyond drinks, Wallace said there’s opportunities to expand the business with more Herbalife products, up to and including pancakes. Pancakes might be a
stretch, but Wallace said if the market believes in the product, there will be more to offer. If she could, Wallace said she would open a store in every town in Mississippi if she could. Wallace said she wants the Pike County store to be the first of many. Another store opened in Monticello on June 9. “If I could make some clones of myself and be everywhere, I would have one everywhere,” Wallace said. “It’s such a positive feedback from everybody. Right now, my goal is to find people who have the same vision as me, and get them everyEden Wallace, right, and Stevee Prather, left, stand at Sweet Southern where.” n Nutrition counter in downtown Summit.
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Treasures abound By Stetson Payne In Unique Treasures Mongramming & Vendors Mall, every piece has a story. For Beverly Jackson and Debbie Wilson, they’re trying to add more chapters. Since opening April 2, the duo filled the Robb Street storefront in downtown Summit with antiques and all things authentic and vintage from vendors. For 20 years, Jackson and Wilson have collected and traded antiques. With Unique Treasures, they’ve expanded a passion into a business. “We all love vintage and antiques,” Wilson said. “We all enjoy going and looking for things for customers who shop with us.” A few items have a new lease on life.
Bottle tree one of the many treasures found at Unique Treasures in Summit.
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2018 Summer Issue
Debbie Wilson and Beverly Jackson of Unique Treasures display some of their wares. Wilson said she refurbishes or repurposes as much merchandise as antiques are brought in. “We try to take something that people might throw away and make something pretty,” Wilson said. Amid the refurbished and vintage items, Unique Treasures hosts hand-crafted goods from vendors including signs and woodworking. On any given morning, a band of shoppers will comb through the store, browsing from section to section for anything that catches the eye. The browsing customers are good for business, but both Wilson and Jackson said they’re there for something different. “The biggest thing for me is when customers come in and find just that right thing,” Wilson said. “For their home, for their patio or garden, and they never even thought about looking for that.” As the duo works throughout the store
checking tags and featuring different pieces, some take more meaning. Although seeing items go to new homes is good for business, Wilson said it’s tough to see some go. “I’ll come in and have mixed feelings a lot of times,” Wilson said. “She’ll tell me something sold and my face drops like, ‘Oh no, not my whatever.’ ‘Well we had it for sale.’ ‘I know, but I still loved it.’ ” Aside from antiques and hand-crafted items, Unique Treasures has a mongramming section in the back. From T-shirts to coffee mugs, all are available with different designs in mind. With every time the door swings open off Robb Street, the duo wants the store to live up to its namesake. “They come in here, they’re looking for something different, something unique,” Wilson said. “It’s why (Jackson) chose the name Unique Treasures. “That’s the mindset we hope people have when they come here. ‘I can come to this store and find a Unique Treasure that I won’t be able to find anywhere else.’ ” n
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Steven and Melinda Spears opened Spears Hardware & Supply on Airport Fernwood Road and wants to make it a household name.
Spears Hardware personable & accountable By Stetson Payne Steven Spears could cut down trees for a living, sell cars, even write if he wanted to. After a year running Spears Hardware & Supply with his family, Spears said he knows exactly why it’s everything he wants in a job. “I enjoy seeing things getting built,” Spears said. At Spears Hardware & Supply, houses go out the warehouse doors one truckload at a time. The houses may be in sculpted pieces headed to job sites miles away. With every beeping tone from trucks backing up to the
warehouse, Spears can see kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms and more come together piece by piece. When Spears signed the lease on the shop on Airport Fernwood Road, it was far from a ready-made retail space. Formerly a repair shop, the store needed work before it could host customers. For weeks, Spears and his son, Michael, tore the store down from the inside out. The father and son team removed a wall, redid the checkout counter and built the shelves throughout the store. Spears not only bought his store, but like he helps his 2018 Summer Issue
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customers, he had to build it. “As far as putting the store together, it’s something we’re proud of every day,” Spears said. “It was fun, actually.” A year removed from opening its doors, the store has everything from locks and anchor bolts up to power tools and window air conditioners. Short of concrete and roofing shingles, Michael Spears said the store has everything to build a house. As a locally owned store, Michael Spears said the team prides itself on being personable and accountable to customers. “We’re hands on with all of our customers whether they’re a walk-in customer or a contractor we see every day,” Michael Spears said. “Service is
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key, and that’s what we’re all about. Aside from building materials and basic hardware, Spears offers custom order windows, doors and other products from manufacturers. Spears said he consciously works to keep the store’s products on pace with industry trends. “We try to make it to as many trade shows as possible to get the latest products available and bring it to our stores and make it available to our customers,” Spears said. “As people see it on Home and Garden on TV, we have it available in our store.” Although making a mark on Pike County, the Spears family commutes from Kentwood, La.,
2018 Summer Issue
Spears Hardware & Supply offers a wide variety of supplies to meet your every need. to work each morning. If the Spears family has their way, the store will be a household name in Pike County. Michael Spears, however, wants
the house first. “I love it up here,” Spears said. “When I do build a house one day, I do plan to build it up here. It’s been great.” n