Invitation Magazine - December 2022/January 2023

FEATURES

FEATURES

44 A Novel Upgrade

An old Tupelo home shows what creative thinking and careful design can yield.

48 Mississippi Rodeo Stars

More than a few rodeo pros call north Mississippi home.

58 Decking the Halls

In honor of his favorite holiday, a Tupelo resident decorates early and in the extreme in his inherited home.

66 Fit for Life

An Oxford fitness expert encourages folks into healthy habits.

68 Finding Her Muse

A Mississippi mother of five grows a small, creative idea into Musee, an internationally recognized company that employs the most vulnerable members of her community.

LETTER from the PUBLISHER

Simple gifts can be the most meaningful.

I got a yellow highlighter when I was 8. I had trouble reading as a child, and a highlighter helped my teacher and me see things I needed to focus on. I still use a yellow highlighter at work almost every day.

My momma (and my best friend), Sally, always made vanilla French toast on Christmas morning. Over the past 11 years, she has taught my daughter, M.K., how to make French toast just like her. And on Christmas morning, Sally and M.K. will be found in the kitchen together working on their perfect recipe.

Simple gifts like these allow us to appreciate the little things in life: a way

someone made you laugh; a second chance you were given or perhaps you gave to someone else; a book that you read over and over in your favorite chair.

Turn to page 68 and meet Leisha Pickering, founder and CEO of Musee Bath. Pickering had a fleeting idea years ago that has developed into a career that’s full of life. Not only is she running a successful business but she is also helping others receive second chances.

Dusty Myers might not be a familiar name to you, but he makes thousands of people laugh each year. Myers, who knew he liked clowning around as a toddler, is a professional rodeo clown. And his gift

to many each year is being funny and not getting in the way of a 2,000-pound animal in the process. You’ll meet him and several other impressive rodeo professionals from north Mississippi on page 48.

Finally, we hope you will consider our magazine a small, simple gift each month. We are honored to have your continued support year after year. We hope this product we love to create will bring you laughter, joy and hope this holiday season.

Merry Christmas.

RACHEL M. WEST, PUBLISHER

DEADLINE EXTENDED! Last Call for Bridal Announcements!

DIGITAL details

ONLINE AT INVITATIONMAG.COM

social SNAPS

More About Musee

Musee made headlines recently when Oprah Winfrey included its Words of Encouragement soap set in her famous Oprah’s Favorite things list. Winfrey is quoted on her website saying: “Stedman and I love a big bar of soap. These are generously sized and inspiring, with words like kindness and hope etched into them. Plus, you’ll be supporting a woman-owned company that hires women in recovery, people with disabilities, and those who have lived in chronic poverty.” Find the soap at museebath.com and read more about Oprah’s Favorite Things at oprahdaily.com.

It’s beginning to look a lot like…

We love being tagged in your photos!

Cheers to more bridal parties like this one!

LOCATION: Houston, Mississippi

USERNAME: @finchcollective

Did you get married or engaged this year? It’s not too late to order a wedding announcement to run in our annual bridal issue, coming in February 2023! Visit inviationmag.com/bridal-announcements by Dec. 15 to place your order.

Winter is arriving, and Southern snow lovers everywhere are crossing their fingers for a dusting of white sometime this season. Be sure to share your cute and cuddly cold weather pictures on social media, and tag us @invitationmag and @invitationoxford for a chance to appear in an upcoming magazine!

CALENDAR AND EVENTS

Have an exciting event coming up? Visit our website and share the details on our online community calendar. There’s a chance photos from your event will be featured in an upcoming magazine!

Light the Square with @coachmikebianco was a blast!

LOCATION: The Square

USERNAME: @oxfordcreative

Thank you to our generous in kind sponsors for helping make our 7th Annual Ole Miss Tailgate our most exciting ever with more than $230,000 raised for Palmer Home!

LOCATION: Ole Miss USERNAME: @tailgateforpalmer_olemiss

COMING UP IN OUR COMMUNITY

OXFORD

Holly Jolly Holidays

THRU JANUARY 2

Oxford’s annual Holly Jolly Holidays includes ice skating at the Old Armory Pavilion ($12), art markets and Santa visits. Visit the website for a complete schedule. visitoxfordms.com/hollyjolly

Holiday Village

DECEMBER 1-15

Gingerbread houses made by local families and organizations, plus special events including a Dec. 3 story time with Mrs. Claus (10 a.m.) and a Dec. 10 visit from Santa (1-4 p.m.). Free admission but donations benefit The Pantry. The Ford Center. fordcenter.org

HOLIDAYS

HANUKKAH Dec. 18-26

CHRISTMAS DAY Dec. 25

KWANZAA Dec. 26-Jan. 1

NEW YEAR'S DAY Jan. 1

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY Jan. 21

Doors of Hope Holiday House Tour

DECEMBER 3

Tour five Avent Park homes decorated for the season on this holiday house tour. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Benefits Doors of Hope Transition Ministries. doorsofhopeoxford.org

Pictures and Cookies with Santa

DECEMBER 4-5

Holiday Art Market

DECEMBER 2-3

“Peppermint Bear: The Taming of the Shoe”

DECEMBER 1-3 AND DECEMBER 6

Welcome the holidays with a familyfriendly musical. Tickets $12. 6 p.m. Dec. 1-2; 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Dec. 3 at the Powerhouse; and 6 p.m. Dec. 8 at 4 Town Square Lane in Taylor (outdoors). theatreoxford.org

Local artists and makers fill this pop-up holiday market with creative and unique gifts. Shop the market from noon-7:30 p.m. Dec. 2 and 9 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Dec. 3, the Powerhouse. oxfordarts.com

A Holiday Concert

DECEMBER 2

UM Choirs bring the sounds of the season to the Ford Center stage. 7:30 p.m., the Ford Center. fordcenter.org

Isom Place invites families to visit for cookies and pictures with Santa. 4-6 p.m. Sunday and 3:30-4:30 Monday. Photos by Legacy Photography. Free event but donations will be accepted for the Family Exchange Center. isomplaceoxford.com

Black Violin “Give Thanks” Tour

DECEMBER 8

Classically trained string players Wil B. (viola) and Kev Marcus (violin) are joined by DJ SPS and drummer Nat Stokes in Black Violin’s “Give Thanks” tour. 7:30 p.m., the Ford Center. fordcenter.org

YAC Ornament Auction

DECEMBER 9

Bid on unique ornaments created by local artists at Yoknapatawpha Arts Council’s annual holiday ornament auction. Proceeds from the auction benefit YAC. 7-9 p.m., the Powerhouse. oxfordarts.com

Christmas in the Valley

DECEMBER 9

Holiday shopping and the Main Street Association Cookie Stroll take place in downtown Water Valley. 5-8 p.m. watervalleychamber.com

Christmas Cookies Around the World

DECEMBER 10

Children ages 7-12 will learn about cookies from around the world, plus make and decorate their own Christmas cookies with instructor Judy Bogan. Register online by noon Dec. 9, $40-45 per person. 9 a.m.noon, Lafayette County Arena classrooms. oxfordarts.com

CASAblanca

New

Year’s Eve Gala

DECEMBER 31

Ring in the New Year at this fundraiser for Court Appointed Special Advocates of North Mississippi. Celebrate with dinner, casino games, a champagne toast and a cash bar. Live music by the Entice Band. Tickets $100 per person; or sponsor a table for $1,000. 7:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m., the Powerhouse.

oxfordarts.com/casablanca

The Gravel Cup

JANUARY 7

Cyclists descend on Oxford for the first event in the The Gravel Cup’s 2023 series. The routes through Holly Springs National Forest include 100-mile and 50-mile options, plus a 25-miler for beginners. msgravelcup.com

MLK Day of Service

JANUARY 16

The UM Center for Community Engagement hosts a day of service for students, faculty and staff to participate in projects alongside community members in Oxford and Lafayette County. Noon-5 p.m. olemiss.givepulse.com

Fiber Arts Festival

JANUARY 18-22

The 13th annual Fiber Arts Festival features a variety of online and in-person events, beautiful work by local fiber artists, a fiber market, workshops and demonstrations. The Powerhouse. oxfordfiberfestival.com

NORTHEAST

Public Ice Skating

THRU JANUARY 14

A favorite winter activity returns to Tupelo’s Cadence Bank Arena. Days and hours vary, see details online. cb-arena.com

“The World of Musicals”

JANUARY 27

A Broadway musical revue brings musical theater to life with a production featuring classic musical songs, live in concert. "7:30 p.m., the Ford Center. fordcenter.org

Link Centre Holiday Market

DECEMBER 3

The Link Centre’s Holiday Market features locally made arts and crafts, delicious food and drink, and live holiday music. 11 a.m.4 p.m., Link Centre Reception Hall. link-centre.org

“The Nutcracker”

DECEMBER 3-4

Tupelo Ballet presents “The Nutcracker” with live music by North Mississippi Symphony Orchestra. 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tupelo High School Performing Arts Center. tupeloballet.com

Christmas with the NMSO

DECEMBER 10

Choruses from Itawamba Community College and Northeast Mississippi Community College, along with the North Mississippi Symphony Orchestra Children’s Chorus join the NMSO for its Christmas program. Tickets start at $10. 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Tupelo Civic Auditorium. nmsymphony.com

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Weekend Events

JANUARY 13-16

Tupelo's Committee for King hosts a weekend of events to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Visit website for complete details. committeeforking.org

North Pole at the Depot

DECEMBER 5-17

Booneville Main Street Association presents a holiday experience with ice skating, train rides, carriage rides, visits with Santa on the caboose and more. Find a complete schedule of events online. visitbooneville.com

“Christmas Belles”

DECEMBER 8-10

Tupelo Community Theatre presents “Christmas Belles,” a hilarious holiday show. Tickets $20 adults; $10 students. December 8, 9 and 10 at 7:30 p.m.; Dec. 10 at 2 p.m., the Lyric Theatre, Tupelo. tct.ms

Cirque Dreams Holidaze

DECEMBER 8

A creative, acrobatic holiday-themed show lights up the stage. Tickets start at $55. 7:30 p.m., Cadence Bank Arena. cb-arena.com

Whiskey Myers Concert

DECEMBER 9

Texas band Whiskey Myers brings its Tornillo Tour to Tupelo. Tickets start at $40. 7:30 p.m., Cadence Bank Arena. cb-arena.com

Harlem Globetrotters

DECEMBER 12

The Original Harlem Globetrotters bring their high-energy, family-friendly show to Corinth. Tickets start at $22. 7 p.m., Crossroads Arena. crossroadsarena.com

NMSO Free Family and Sensory-Friendly Matinee

JANUARY 21

This free matinee concert is made specifically for children and adults with special needs and families with small children. 3 p.m., Harrisburg Baptist Church, Tupelo. nmsymphony.com

Amazing Grace

JANUARY 21

NMSO welcomes flutist Brian Dunbar as he performs the new work “Movements for Flute and Orchestra,” written for him by composer Carlos Simon. The performance includes a classic spiritual and moving excerpts from speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Tickets start at $10. 7:30 p.m., Harrisburg Baptist Church, Tupelo. nmsymphony.com

Tupelo’s New Year’s Eve Party

DECEMBER 31

Downtown Tupelo Main Street Association presents a family-friendly concert event complete with fireworks to ring in the New Year. DJs and bands perform on the BNA Bank Stage at Fairpark and the Renasant Bank Stage at Broadway. Full schedule available online. 6 p.m.-12:15 a.m. tupelo.net/newyear

“Tea for Three”

JANUARY 26-28

Tupelo Community Theatre presents “Tea for Three: Lady Bird, Pat and Betty,” a witty and moving play that examines the lives of First Ladies Lady Bird Johnson, Pat Nixon and Betty Ford. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Jan 26-28, and 2 p.m. Jan 28. The Lyric Theatre, Tupelo. tct.ms

SHOUTOUTS

When Jewell Younger Graeber of Marks, Mississippi, made a trip to New York City in 1985, she visited the city’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. Of the museum’s many offerings, Graeber saw the renowned Angel Tree exhibit and was so overwhelmed she decided to start a collection of her own of handcrafted Italian figurines. She purchased her first four figures in 1987.

Through the years, her collection grew into more than 150 18th-century Neapolitan angel and Nativity figurines in a crèche setting. Of course, Mary, Joseph and Jesus are included, along with the three wise men, a host of angels and more than 75 townspeople.

Graeber died in 2011, but the collection is now curated by her daughter, Gay Graeber Stubbs of Oxford. It is displayed annually in December at the Mississippi Museum of Art, 380 South Lamar St., Jackson.

“This was collected and displayed for the children of Mississippi,” Stubbs said.

When her parents saw the delight in the faces of New York children as they viewed the exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, her mother wanted the children of Mississippi to have the same opportunity. The awe-inspiring exhibit is on display

Dec. 3-31. On Dec. 6, the museum hosts a Museum Store Open House with vendor displays, book signings, carolers and the lighting of the Bethlehem Tree Collection. The museum is open 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; and 1-5 p.m. Sunday.

Small Business Group Honors Local Businesspeople

cousins, is based in Pontotoc.

In early October, B.O.N.D. hosted its awards ceremony at Melvin’s Grill in Pontotoc.

2022 AWARD WINNERS

Five years ago, B.O.N.D. Small Business Group came to be with a mission to empower, educate and equip local businesspeople to succeed and better the communities around them. B.O.N.D. is an acronym for Business Oriented Networking and Development. The family-run business, run by CEO Jessica Sparks, her mother, three sisters and two

“B.O.N.D. is not only thrilled to have our first in-person awards ceremony, but we’re also excited to celebrate five years as an organization this year,” CEO Jessica Starks said. “We use the B.O.N.D. Awards as a way to highlight our members, recognize powerhouses in the small business community and show our appreciation for community support.”

Nominations were made by B.O.N.D.’s board of advisors in four categories: Businesses to Watch, Most Improved Businesses, Most Influential Business and Member of the Year.

MEMBER OF THE YEAR: Angenett Curry, owner of PVS Financial Coaching & Services, Vicksburg

MOST INFLUENTIAL BUSINESS: Wear It Well Inc., Katina Davis, Tupelo

MOST IMPROVED BUSINESS: The Cake Lady Cakes & Treats, Jalisa Pratt, New Albany

BUSINESSES TO WATCH: Graceful Seams, Melissa Rainey, Pontotoc; Glam Beauty Bar, April Ball, Pontotoc; The G Spot Taste LLC, Greg and Ashley Thomas, Tupelo

Mississippi Museum of Art Features Younger Foundation Crèche and Bethlehem Tree Collection

SHOUTOUTS continued

Meet Mississippi’s Community Volunteer of the Year

Tupelo’s Bobby Geno received the 2022 Community Volunteer of the Year award in October from the Mississippi Tourism Association.

Anyone who has ever attended Tupelo Community Theatre productions is familiar with Geno, who for years has worked in multiple shows each season. He’s as comfortable behind the scenes as he is front and center.

In addition to TCT, Geno has been a fixture through the years with the annual Elvis Presley Festival, where his primary task has been working with the tribute artist competition. He also attends Elvis Week in Memphis and helps promote Tupelo to attendees there.

As a board member and volunteer of the Downtown Tupelo Main Street Association, Geno is passionate about every project.

The award came as a surprise to Geno.

“I was totally shocked,” he said. “I was completely honored and totally humbled. I love serving my community, and I love Tupelo.”

The Booneville-born Geno has lived in Tupelo since 1983. “It’s home,” he said.

Geno retired at the end of 2020 after 43½ years at Renasant Bank. He is the father of two sons and a daughter.

DOWNTOWN TUPELO MAIN STREET ASSOCIATION

CANDYLAND Christmas

CREATE A WHIMSICAL HOLIDAY SPREAD THAT WILL DELIGHT THE WHOLE FAMILY WITH THESE ORIGINAL RECIPES AND FANCIFUL DECOR IDEAS.

CHRISTMAS LIGHT cookies

1 package white melting chocolate

1 package golden sandwich cookies (such as Oreos)

½ cup milk chocolate chips

1 teaspoon coconut oil Sprinkles or small candies

In a microwaveable bowl, microwave white melting chocolate in 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until melted. Working 5 at a time, dip sandwich cookies into white chocolate, and place on a wire rack to cool. In another small microwaveable bowl, microwave milk chocolate chips and coconut oil in 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until melted. Spoon melted chocolate into a plastic bag, and snip 1 corner to make a small hole for piping. Pipe 2 “strings” of chocolate across each cookie, and, using clean tweezers, place sprinkles or candies to create strings of Christmas lights. Let cool completely to harden.

RECIPES BY SARAH M c CULLEN | PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOE WORTHEM

coconut BONBONS

½ cup unsweetened flaked coconut

½ cup uncooked old-fashioned regular rolled oats

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut, divided 1-2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1-2 tablespoons coconut water ½ teaspoon coconut extract

Food coloring, optional

In a food processor, combine unsweetened flaked coconut, oats and ½ cup of the sweetened flaked coconut. Pulse until finely chopped, about 1 minute. Add maple syrup, coconut water and coconut extract, 1 at a time, pulsing between each addition to combine. Mixture should form a thick dough. If it gets too wet, add more coconut until dough sticks together in a ball.

To make bonbons, roll dough into 1- to 1½inch balls. In a small bowl, toss remaining ½ cup sweetened flaked coconut with food coloring of choice (or leave white). Roll balls in coconut flakes, gently pressing to adhere.

gluten-free LEMON DONUTS

1 cup gluten free all-purpose flour

¾ cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest, plus 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon), divided ¼ teaspoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, stir together flour, granulated sugar, lemon zest, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together egg, butter, ½ cup of the milk, and 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice, and whisk into dry ingredients, stirring constantly, until just combined. Do not over mix. Spoon into a greased doughnut pan, and bake until doughnuts are risen and fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes.

¼ teaspoon salt

1 large egg

3 tablespoons butter, melted ½ cup milk, plus 2-3 tablespoons, divided 2 cups powdered sugar

Sprinkles

In a large bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of the milk, and remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice until it creates a thick glaze, whisking in remaining 1 tablespoon of milk as needed for desired thickness.

When doughnuts are finished baking, turn out of the pan. Let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then dip in glaze and decorate with sprinkles.

frozen HOT CHOCOLATE

4 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

1 tablespoon hot chocolate mix

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups milk, at room temperature, divided 3 cups ice cubes

Whipped cream and sprinkles

In a microwaveable bowl, microwave chocolate chips in 20 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until smooth. Once melted, stir in hot chocolate mix and sugar. Add 1/2 cup of the milk, stirring until smooth. Cool to room temperature. In a blender, combine chocolate mixture, ice cubes, and remaining 1 cup milk, and process until smooth, about 1 minute. Pour into glass mug, and top with whipped cream and sprinkles.

PEPPERMINT parfaits

32 ounces vanilla Greek yogurt

1 pound fresh strawberries, sliced Sprinkles

In a tall glass or bowl, layer sliced strawberries and yogurt to create a peppermint pattern. Garnish with sprinkles.

cheddar cheese PUFFY STARS

1 sheet puff pastry

2 tablespoons butter, melted ¾ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350°F. Thaw puff pastry sheet, and roll out to almost double its size. Brush with melted butter, then scatter shredded cheese over pastry sheet, gently pressing to adhere. Cut out shapes with a star-shaped cookie cutter, and bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes.

SPECIAL thanks

FUN TIP:

candy cane CHAMPAGNE

Add a candy cane to a flute of champagne or sparkling water for a sweet, fizzy and festive pink drink.

A Novel Upgrade

WRITTEN BY EUGENE STOCKSTILL | PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOE WORTHEM

Every address in every city, town and hamlet in the world has a story or two to tell, and 635 North Madison Street in Tupelo is no exception.

Since its construction in 1928, the twostory residence in the city’s Highland Circle neighborhood has had only three owners: First the Grimes family, then the Spicers, and since 1986, Sandy and Guy Lipscomb from Virginia.

The red brick structure welcomes you to this quiet, tree-lined neighborhood with an arched entranceway and off-white trim and shutters. Once inside, you discover more than a few surprises.

For example, a piano painted a unique shade of rich, dark brown sits in a corner room off the kitchen. If you nose around upstairs, you find not one but two secret compartments. A small bookshelf in one wall opens to reveal a full hunting room, in what was once nothing but empty attic space. On an adjacent wall, a door opens into a small but fully functional wet bar. Next to that door, framed and mounted, hang the house’s original blueprints.

But the biggest reveal comes at the far end of the upstairs area: a bedroom converted into a small library.

Sandy Lipscomb had the idea because of all the books scattered around the house. “A library?” her incredulous husband asked, but his wife made a believer out of him.

“I won’t call it a man cave,” he said, “But it makes for a nice place to watch football or whatever.”

In the late 1940s, the room housing the library served as a kitchen. The owners at that time had redesigned the upstairs portion of the house as a separate apartment with two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen and a separate entrance out back.

When the Lipscombs moved in, the

AN OLD TUPELO HOME SHOWS WHAT CREATIVE THINKING AND CAREFUL DESIGN CAN YIELD.

upstairs apartment needed more work than they could tackle, so they closed off the back entrance, tore out the kitchen, saved the cabinets and repurposed some of the area into a third bedroom.

“Fast forward to late 2019,” Guy Lipscomb said, “Which is when we began planning to renovate the upstairs, primarily the bathroom. We initially started in the spring of 2020, with plans to finish in six months or less. That turned out to be laughable, as we finally got things wrapped up in early fall of 2021.”

The result: a cozy extra living space.

General contractor Clay Bowen (who has since died from pancreatic cancer) made the striking wooden ceilings and trim by hand, Guy Lipscomb said.

“He became a dear friend during the time that he and his crew worked with us,” he said. “Sandy found the specific design she wanted online.”

With the help of designers at Staggs Interiors, including Connie Morgan and owner and back-door neighbor Kelly Holcomb, painter Wayne Rhudy, as well as Bowen and crew, the vision became reality. Holcomb said he takes special delight in making improvements to old houses like the Lipscombs’ home.

“You can’t duplicate these houses,” Holcomb said. “These houses (in Highland Circle) are unique. They all have their own personality.”

For those of you who are rodeo newbies, you need to get a few things straight from the get-go. If you didn’t book tickets early for the ultrapopular National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas this month, you are probably too late. The jam-packed event takes place every December at UNLV’s 19,522-seat Thomas and Mack Center, draws participants from Australia, Canada, France and Mexico, and banks a $10-million purse split between seven different events that stretch out over a 10-day period.

You also should recognize the world of rodeo includes a cache of events that require as much craft and commitment as Olympic sports. And things like body-slamming a wild steer to the earth after dismounting a stallion in full gallop demands (at least) a hockey-player degree of toughness.

It may surprise you, but the Magnolia State cannot lay claim to the appellation “rodeo state.” That honor belongs to such states as Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico, along with Florida, of all places, especially South Florida, which

is covered in cattle ranches. And the truest fans of rodeo, oddly enough, don’t live in Jackson, Mississippi, or Memphis, Tennessee, or Little Rock, Arkansas, but in places like Attica, New York, and upstate Maine, rodeo clown Dusty Myers said.

“The crowds are bigger, because we’re a show up there,” the Jumpertown native said. “It’s a spectacle.”

But Mississippi does boast more than a few rodeo professionals who not only participate but also have excelled at the top levels of competition. There’s Will Lummus from Byhalia, No. 2 last year in the world in steer wrestling for the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association, whose Facebook profile photo shows him maneuvering from horse to steer like Indiana Jones. And there’s Tony Sharp, who lives in the Starkville/ Columbus area and was one of the pioneers of the PRCA.

The following are the stories of a few north Mississippi standouts who call rodeo much more than a hobby or a career.

“We’re a family,” saddle bronc rider Kody Rinehart said.

At the Top

Skydivers and NASCAR pros report that the thrill and adrenaline of their chosen sports far outweigh the dangers. Will Lummus says the same goes for his profession.

“It’s unlike any other sport,” Lummus, 30, said. “When you quit getting butterflies, it’s time to quit. You’re riding an animal that can do anything he wants to, and you’re trying to catch a wild steer and tackle him. There are so many variables that go into it. There’s always going to be adrenaline in it. I played football, and I loved it. But there’s nothing like this. It definitely beats you up.”

A native of West Point, Lummus wrestled his first steer as a sophomore in high school, inspired by his father and his uncle. “It came pretty natural to me, and I had a great teacher,” he said. “It was always my dream to rodeo for a living, more or less to prove to myself that I could do it.”

The licensed physical therapist has since proven that he can more than do it at the

Will Lummus

PROVIDED BY WILL LUMMUS

Rodeo terms to know

PRCA: Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, the largest rodeo organization in the world, headquartered in Colorado Springs.

NFR: National Finals Rodeo, “the Super Bowl of rodeo,” is held the first part of every December in the Thomas & Mack Center at the University of Las Vegas.

IPRA: International Professional Rodeo Association, the second-largest rodeo organization in the world, headquartered in Oklahoma City.

IFR: International Finals Rodeo, held every January at the Lazy E. Arena in Guthrie, Oklahoma; includes the Miss Rodeo USA pageant.

Dusty Myers

most competitive levels.

“It’s a marathon (at the PRCA finals in Vegas),” said Lummus, who earned $285,000 last year for steer wrestling. “There are songs written about it. They’re just sitting on top of you. There’s so much energy in that building. It’s loud. It’s everything you’d want the nationals to be.”

At 6-2, 250 pounds, Lummus said he was too big to ride bulls. His brawn and strength (“I can bench press 285 pounds all day, but when they put 300 on there, I could only do it once,” he said) serve him well when he’s trying to outdo a cow on the loose. To stay in shape, the trained welder lugs around huge pieces of steel during his off time. “I’m what they call country strong,” he said.

Lummus said he’s been fortunate to have gone injury-free in his career and doubly fortunate to find himself surrounded by family and friends who support his work.

“Luke Combs has a song, ‘Without You,’” Lummus said. “He’s talking about singing, of course, that it’s everybody else that made it happen. I’m the one bulldogging, but there are a lot of people getting me through.”

Comic Relief

The big turning point for Dusty Myers came not long after he had stopped toddling across the yard and started walking across it. That’s when he first saw Lecile Harris (from Collierville, Tennessee) and Rudy Burns (from Smithdale, Mississippi), two of the most famous clowns in the history of rodeo.

“You see something and you say, ‘Oh, that’s what I want to do,’” he said. “My mom has pictures of me, three or four years old, dressing up like a rodeo clown.”

That epiphany transformed into a vocation when Myers’ father, a former rodeo man, started to introduce his son to all his friends and experiences in the cowboy realm. As he grew up, Myers did his fair share of bullfighting, but his first love is and always has been clowning. Continued on page 52

from page 51

A student of everything from the acting of Robert Duvall — “Watch how he uses his hands,” Myers said, — to the moves and mannerisms of the late Red Skelton and the old vaudevillians, Myers gathers his material from all quarters. He pays close attention to the best ways to grab and hold the attention of a crowd and tickle the collective funny bone. A shotgun the size of Elmer Fudd’s and a belt buckle five times too big help.

“I’m filling in gaps in the show,” he said. “I’m having to do my comedy while there’s a 2,000-pound animal running around. I’ve only got about 10 seconds to do something.”

And in this day of instantaneous socialmedia entertainment, that’s a tough gig. “When you make fun of yourself, when you make yourself the butt of the joke, everyone can laugh,” Myers said.

Myers has chalked up his share of awards along the way doing what he loves. He will be the open barrelman (the man who jumps in a barrel that a bull smashes into) in Las Vegas this December, and he’s been the rodeo clown of the year for the International

Professional Rodeo Association nine times. Three years ago, he helped with the firstever rodeo in Saudi Arabia before Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmen and the U.S. embassy in Riyadh.

Traveling the world with his horse Knucklehead to make people laugh can be grueling work, Myers said, and when he’s done performing, he transforms once more.

“I’m quick-witted but not a natural comedian,” he said. “It’s acting. When I’m outside my costume, people crack up at my wife. She’s the funny one. I’m a shy person by nature.”

Up & Coming

At 29 years old, Kody Rinehart has already accomplished more than men who are twice his age. The Rienzi native was a finalist two years running in the collegiate rodeo finals in Casper, Wyoming. He has qualified four times for the International Finals Rodeo in Guthrie, Oklahoma. And he is the two-time world champion in saddle

bronc riding for the IPRA.

Where do you go from there?

“I’d like to make the NFR (in Vegas) one day,” he said.

Rinehart is well on his way, as he sits at the No. 1 slot in saddle bronc in the PRCA’s southeastern circuit. Saddle bronc refers to a rider who endeavors to stay for a few seconds on a saddled, buck-crazy horse who’d rather not have anyone on top of him. It is a pretty neat trick, to put it mildly. For someone who hasn’t seen it: The rider, holding onto a rein with one hand, looks as though he might go flying through the air like a cannon ball at any second.

“It just depends on how bad you want it,” Rinehart said. “You’ve got to have grit, attitude and keep trying. It’s the hardest event to learn.”

So where did all that fortitude originate? “I kind of learned my toughness from my father,” Rinehart said of the man who raised him and who has battled heart problems for years. “That no-quit attitude.”

The 5-7, 185-pound Rinehart doesn’t look as big as you might expect an already-

Kody Rinehart

PROVIDED BY KODY RINEHART

famous broncobuster to look, but in fact, saddle bronc riding responds to flexibility and total-body strength, not size. To achieve the high-level of conditioning he needs, Rinehart trains with a program called Champion Living Fitness, which involves cardio, weightlifting and body-weight work. That training helped him when a horse threw him and he broke his neck in 2018 and had to wear a neck brace for six weeks.

“It is more important to control your body,” Rinehart said. “You don’t want to be super bulky.”

For the former college youth leader and graduate of Blue Mountain College (degree in Christian ministry) and East Mississippi Community College in Scooba (degree in welding and fabrication), the focus remains the same every day.

“Ride for God; live for God,” he said.

All in the Family

In 2019, Savannah Watson of Batesville won a first-place ribbon and a cash prize for barrel racing in a statewide rodeo competition in Jackson. But her real claim to fame happened when few people were watching her.

“There was a horse no one could catch,” said Watson, whose nickname is “The Horse Whisperer.” In 10 minutes, she said, she was riding the horse bareback. “That started the rumor.”

Watson, 21, her three brothers and her sister (Noah, 19; Lewis, 18; Elijah, 12; Hannah, 11) have been participating in local and state rodeos for four years, including barrel racing, pole bending and arena, all

The Watson siblings

of which are timed horse-riding events. She and her brothers also enjoy roping calves.

Savannah, 21, was the first one to catch the rodeo spirit, and her siblings soon fell in line behind her. For Savannah, working with the horses sits at the top of her list of favorite things to do. She has trained every horse she has ridden in competition, and she calls three her own: Dutchess, a white mare; Heno, a gelding; and Petty’s Wild Cat, another mare.

“I call her Cat,” she said.

For the young woman who has a horse named Cat, competition is only a part of the story. The bigger part, she said, is learning how to think like a horse. It takes her about 30 days to break and train a horse.

“You have to make them respect your space,” she said. “If they turn their head toward you, they respect you. If they’re being disrespectful, they’ll turn their back end to you.”

Horse signs you should pay attention to if you’re a newbie? If a horse “follows you around like a puppy dog,” lets you rub her eyes or nibbles you for food, she likes you.

“I’m working with a horse right now that loves to hug me,” Savannah said. But if a horse pins back his ears or bears his teeth? “It’s a bad thing.”

For Batesville’s Horse Whisperer, this work is not a job but a labor of love. “I love being patient with them,” she said.

Decking the Halls

WRITTEN BY LESLIE CRISS | PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOE WORTHEM

Though he possesses no pointy ears, Tupelo’s Chris Grimes likely has a bit of elf in his DNA. He’s quick to confess Christmas has long been his favorite holiday. If proof is necessary, just keep watch outside his yellow house on North Green Street starting in October each year.

To those who think that’s too early to deck the halls, Grimes blames it on the skeleton crew, a gathering of about eight skeletons that make a home on Grimes’ front porch and around his front yard in the weeks before Halloween.

“They are the ones who start doing yard work — raking leaves, mowing,” Grimes said, smiling sheepishly. “Then they start hanging lights in the trees outside. By the time Halloween is over, the skeletons have already decorated the outside for Christmas.

“And that’s how I get away with decorating early.”

The inside holiday decorations are another story. Grimes can’t blame (or credit) the skeleton crew, who, by the way, have their own Facebook page. Grimes is responsible for the nearly 30 decorated Christmas trees found inside his house.

“The house is wired to accommodate 70 trees,” he said. “But 70 won’t fit in here. This year, I’ll have between 20 and 25.”

In years past, in the house Grimes owns and lives in across the street from the one he’s restoring, he has decorated up to 37

trees. And he’s not talking tiny trees.

“I didn’t count anything under 5 feet tall,” he said.

Grimes grew up in Dorsey with a traditional tree. His mom purchased special ornaments each year that came to have sentimental value and stories to share about each. So, his penchant for plentiful trees was not passed down from his parents.

The house Grimes will call home when the restoration work is finished, hopefully in a few weeks, was built in 1870 as a threestory Victorian. But thanks to the Tupelo tornado of 1936, the house was left with only two stories.

“After the tornado, the exterior became Neo-Classical in style,” Grimes said. “I’m sure people get a little confused when they walk through the front doors and see the Victorian staircase.”

In 2010, Grimes needed a place to live after closing Stone Pile Antiques & Interiors on Main Street, where he also lived. He saw a listing that the pool house behind the yellow house, owned by David Baker, was for rent.

Grimes moved in, but he had yet to meet his new landlord face to face. Shortly after moving in, he received a 2 a.m. call from the hospital telling him his grandfather had suffered a heart attack and was asking for him. Grimes went to the hospital, walked into the room, then turned to walk back out.

“I told the nurse that the patient was not my grandfather, but my landlord,” Grimes said. “I never really learned why he asked for me and said I was his grandson.”

Still, after Baker’s heart surgery, Grimes helped out, becoming a caretaker and friend to Baker, who died in 2016, a month shy of turning 94. In the years before his death, around the Christmas of 2012, Grimes bought the house across the street so he could stay near.

“There was no furniture, but you can be sure there were Christmas trees,” he said.

After Baker’s death, Grimes learned Baker had left him his house, but only on the condition that Grimes would renovate. He has been working on the house since 2016 and can finally see an ending.

The first Christmas without Baker,

Grimes decorated a tree in his memory with things that were special to Baker, like his sterling baby cup, his “Downton Abby” ornaments, his Christmas tie and his orange tennis shoes.

Most of Grimes’ trees are themed. There’s a tree decorated with all Waterford and Swarovski crystal; the trees in the entry are all vintage, from the ’50s and ’60s; there’s a tree that honors Mississippi State, and there’s one dedicated to all things Disney; in the breakfast room, there’s a Mardi Gras tree; in the dining room there are two 9-foot trees and one 12-footer that are decorated formally; and there are eight aluminum trees.

“I’m not quite sure where they’ll go,” said the human resource generalist with Diversicare. “But maybe on the screened porch.”

Part of the restoration of the home included electrical rewiring.

“When I had that done, I had it done specifically with Christmas in mind,” Grimes said. “There’s a breaker box just for the tree lights and plugs are in some really weird places. But it’s all for Christmas. In fact, the entire remodel was planned around Christmas.

“I now have a place for my Christmas village; there are plugs on both sides of mantels; floor registers were moved if they were where trees would be.”

Continued on page 64

Much has changed since Grimes’ first Christmas knowing Baker when there was one 3-foot tree in the house that sat on the piano. Baker had no Christmas decorations, Grimes said. Now, huge plastic tubs filled to the brims with collections of ornaments are scattered about the house.

And the trees? Grimes has bought only five himself. The rest have just shown up on his porch or were dropped off by friends.

“I guess people see me as a retirement home for Christmas trees,” he said.

Grimes hosts an open house the night of the Reed’s Tupelo Christmas Parade each year, in whatever house he’s living. This year, it will be in the house he’s worked for years to restore. And this year will be the first year since the COVID pandemic began to show off his holiday decorations.

When asked if he’s ever logged the hours spent each year on decorating, Grimes is quick to respond.

“Oh, no,” he said. “And I don’t even want to know. I just know I loved doing it, and I don’t see that ever changing.”

Fit For

Life

Want to get a head start on your New Year’s resolutions?

Consider getting in touch with Anthony Johnson, a coach, cheerleader and inspirational speaker all rolled into one. Johnson owns and operates One Body by A.J. in Oxford, a local fitness center with a reputation for helping folks open a door into a healthier lifestyle.

“If I can get the best out of you for 10 minutes, your body will be hungry for more,” Johnson said.

At his fitness center on Westbrook Drive, Johnson works with individuals of all ages and fitness levels, as well as small groups, and he has plans to open a second center soon. He is also the trainer for the Miss Mississippi USA and Mississippi Teen USA pageants.

The 6-foot-4, 260-pound certified exercise specialist says the single biggest myth he has to overcome is that the average person doesn’t have time for fitness. A quick search of hours spent daily on social media opens most people’s eyes to the fact that poor timemanagement is their real problem.

“The only way to have a good life is to take care of the temple,” Johnson said, and that requires more than a robust body. Johnson, certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine, once worked with a bedridden patient who couldn’t use his arms or legs.

“I got him to laugh, and it brought forth bodily strength,” he said. “And then he wanted to move his head. He wanted to put forth more effort. I didn’t have to put weights in his hands. I had to go beyond that.”

Inner strength, Johnson said, fuels physical power.

“I love helping people see that they are valuable, see how important they are,” he said. “Don’t talk down to yourself.”

OXFORD FITNESS EXPERT ENCOURAGES FOLKS INTO HEALTHY HABITS.

WRITTEN BY EUGENE STOCKSTILL PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOE WORTHEM

Finding Her Muse

A MISSISSIPPI MOTHER OF FIVE GROWS A SMALL, CREATIVE IDEA INTO MUSEE, AN INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED COMPANY THAT EMPLOYS THE MOST VULNERABLE MEMBERS OF HER COMMUNITY.

WRITTEN BY LESLIE CRISS | PHOTOGRAPHED BY AMANDA JONES BROYLES AND ANDREW WELCH

When Leisha Pickering was a young girl, she realized a warm bath seemed to have restorative powers for her. Her mother realized it, too. When she was having a bad day or was upset about something, Pickering’s mom would tell her, “You either need a nap or a bath, or both.”

Little did Pickering know then that a bit of motherly wisdom might nudge her to create and launch a bath products company that would become one of the largest producers of bath balms in the country.

The company, Musee (pronounced muse-e) Bath, had its simple beginnings in 2012 in the kitchen of Pickering’s Ridgeland, Mississippi, home. Pickering was the mother of five sons and had been blindsided by a divorce, but the catalyst for concocting the creative enterprise was her heart for others.

After her divorce, Pickering wanted her boys — Will, Jack, Asher, Harper and Ross — to see her be strong and move forward, but there were times she found herself focusing on her pain.

“I began looking outward,” she said. “I looked around my community and focused on the pain of other people. I found that helping others helped in my own healing.”

Living on a 20-acre farm in Madison County, Pickering sometimes had people show up who needed work. She might have fences that needed fixing, mowing or other occasional jobs, but nothing sustainable for

longer periods of employment.

“I got to thinking,” she said. “I wondered if I could create something handmade I could teach others to make that could be marketed. It was a simple idea. I had no thoughts at all of a company.”

With the philosophy that one should create around things you love, Pickering recalled a visit to Europe and a company that made something called bath bombs.

“I’d never seen them before,” she said. “I remember looking at them and thinking what a cool concept it was. I also remember wondering how they could be made in Mississippi. It was a fleeting thought, but it stayed in my brain.”

Then in 2012, Pickering reached out to a friend, Adam Pierce, for help in trying to make her idea a reality. Pickering, trained as a pastry chef, and Pierce took to her kitchen and put her many KitchenAid mixers to use.

“We experimented with essential oils and all natural things,” Pickering said. “It was all trial and error. I wanted them all to look and smell different.”

It was decided those first products from the kitchen would be called bath balms rather than bombs.

“Bombs are destructive; balms are restorative,” Pickering said.

As each successful bath balm was created, Pickering came up with names for each — the titles of songs. A blue,

Leisha Pickering

sparkly balm became “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds;” a bright purple one was aptly named “Purple Rain;” “You Are My Sunshine” fit perfectly as the name of a bright yellow bath balm.

The bath balms offered aromatherapy, moisturizer for the skin, beautifully colored water, and yet Pickering wanted to add another special touch. In the middle of each balm was a small surprise, a little treasure.

“As the water drains out of the tub, there would be this little surprise,” she said. “It would be something small to remind the person they are loved; they are special.”

The treasures found in the bath products differ from product to product. The “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” bath balm has a smiley face bouncy ball inside; “Lucy in the Sky” has a diamond-shaped treasure.

In the early days, the products were sold at farmers markets. But those are seasonal, so Pickering began looking for other ways to market the bath products.

After only a few weeks of making a massive mess in her kitchen, Pickering moved the making of bath balms to a small house in Flora. Because the creative enterprise continued to grow, Pickering kept moving the business to larger places. In December 2017, she purchased a 60,000-square-foot facility on 8 acres in Canton, where about 50 full-time employees now make all Musee Bath products.

The mission of Musee is to offer a place of employment for the vulnerable in the community. Remember, it’s the mission that moved Pickering to action in the first place.

“We identified several populations of vulnerable in our community,” she said. “Women who’ve been released from prison, because with a felony it is impossible for them to find a job; those with a background of substance abuse; those with disabilities; and those who’ve grown up in chronic poverty.”

Musee partnered with Crossroads Ministry which provides counseling and a place to live while Musee provides a safe and loving place to work.

Pickering can share many stories about employees whose experiences at Musee have been life-changing. Continued on page 72

More About Musee

In November 2022, Musee’s Words of Encouragement soap bars, each stamped with an encouraging word such as Courage or Love, were chosen for Oprah’s Favorite Things list. It wasn’t a first. Musee’s Women of Change bath balm bundles were named one of Oprah’s favorites in 2021.

Musee bath products have been featured in The Oprah Magazine, Vogue, Elle, Allure, and on the “Today” show, “The View” and “Rachel Ray.”

Musee products are cruelty-free, paraben-free, sulfatefree and are safe for all skin types.

Musee Bath products may be found at Oxford Floral in Oxford and Elizabeth Clair’s in Tupelo. Or order online from museebath.com

Pickering loves

sharing the stories of some of Musee’s people:

Julie had been in and out of prison, and she had lost custody of her four children. She started at Musee five or six years ago making bath balms, but when the company needed a new receptionist, Julie filled in and eventually became office manager and now purchasing director. She got her children back, got married, has a home and a changed life.

Georgia was a heroin addict, but she’s now drug free and is assistant to the sales director.

Peyton is autistic. In high school, he did a presentation in which he said his dream was to work at Musee. He interviewed and has been with the company full time for five years now. Pickering said he’s an essential part of the Musee family, and if he is absent from work, everyone misses him.

Five or six years ago, a single mother of three working for Musee was trying to put herself through school. Her car was repossessed while at work. Musee bought her a car, allowed her to pay a little each week with no interest. It gave Musee a dependable employee able to get to work, and it gave her a way to get her kids to school.

Another single mother lived where there was gang violence. Her house and car were targeted and shot. Mother and children were frightened. Musee sent a moving van, put her things in storage and put her up in a hotel until she found long-term housing in a safer area.

Continued on page 74

“The stories are not always like that; it takes a great desire on the part of each person. We can’t do it for them, but we can help,” Pickering said. “But it’s such a gift to be a part of it — to look beyond a person’s past and see beauty and potential, and help them to see it as well.”

Today, the line of bath products has expanded from the original bath balms. There are soaps, candles, lotions and shower steamers. And if there is anything at Musee that equals the high quality and creativity of its products, it’s the packaging.

The unique packaging is created by designer Amanda Jones Broyles and Pickering. There are colorful boxes and labels for Christmas and other holidays. A recent series titled Women of Change features the creative likenesses of five inspiring women: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Rosa Parks, Amelia Earhart, Frida Kahlo and Maya Angelou.

“The beauty and uniqueness of our packaging adds depth to who we are,” Pickering said.

At some point along the journey, Pickering had realized that the business, coowned by Pierce, needed a name.

“When my son Harper was a little boy, I told him he was my musee,” she said. “It was

just a little term of endearment I came up with, but when he was older, he didn’t want to be called that anymore.

“But when he was 14, I asked for help coming up with a name for the business. He said I could name it after him. Of course, what he meant was Harper Pickering Bath Balm Co. When he realized I meant Musee, he laughed and walked away. But Musee sounds cool and organic, the Muses were associated with water and some with song. We created bath balms with song names. Musee just made sense.”

While Musee from beginning to now is certainly a large part of Pickering’s story, she is adamant that she had much help. The Ole Miss graduate is quick to share her truth: She took absolutely no business classes at Ole Miss. Nor did she have a great business model.

“We created our own by thinking out of the box,” she said. “So many people helped make this happen. Musee is like a family, where everyone is essential and has great value.

“This has been a beautiful, unexpected journey. You can have a challenge in life, but you can still have a beautiful story. You just have to pivot and know that you get to help write the ending.”

The Fall Into Tupelo Fall Festival kicked off Oct. 7 with the annual Chili Fest and live music by Breaking Grass. Oct. 8 included a Family Fun Day and closed with the Down on Main free concert featuring 2 Drink Minimum, followed by Al Paris and the Heartbreakers.

Ben Logan and Jackie Ward with Karen and Scott Costello

Shannon and Jason Donaldson with Cami and Patrick Buntin

Barry Prather, Jenny Flaherty, Chase McPherson, Meagan Black and DeVonté Thomas

Tessa Chapman with Carrie, Brooke and Mark Hinton

Laura and Marian Dickey

Belle Naugher and Evie Dickey

Kerston Pearce with Julie and Sam Lackey and Payton Pearce

Kadence Carothers with Khamaria and Kameron Hoskins

James Buchanan, Candice Brekke, Chris Stephens and James Sundstrom

PHOTOGRAPHED BY LISA ROBERTS

SPRING STREET DAY

The first Spring Street Day took place Oct. 15 at the Spring Street Warehouse in Saltillo. The festivities, hosted by Spring Street Cigars, included food, drinks, raffles and more. Spring Street Cigars hopes to make this an annual event.

PHOTOGRAPHED BY LISA ROBERTS

1. Chris Carey and Eric Perkinson 2. Teddy Mullins, Michael Certion and Jotavius Jones 3. Kyle Davis and Jedidiah Joscelyn 4. Emily Meeks and Jena Pennington 5. John Higgins, Rob Jonelis and Brandon Higgins 6. Shannon and McKenzie Kenagy

LE BONHEUR PUMPKIN RUN

BY LISA ROBERTS

The 2022 Le Bonheur Pumpkin Run 5K took place Oct. 15 in Tupelo at Veterans Park. Children ages 10 and younger had the opportunity to participate in a Kid’s Fun Run. Activities also included a children’s costume contest.

PHOTOGRAPHED

1. Jamesha Lyons and Tatiana Selmon

2. Carley Johnston, Amanda Sullivan and Kim Harbin with Suzanne and Carson Miller

3. Hannah Quarles and Hillie Hamilton

4. Aiden Patterson, Toshan DeLong and Kaleb Thomas 5. Callen Elkin, Amy White and Perrin Elkin 6. Monica and Melanie Kight

PIGSKINS IN THE PARK

Fairpark in downtown Tupelo was the place to be Oct. 22 for tailgating and watching Ole Miss vs. LSU and Mississippi State vs. Alabama on the big screen. Included in the daylong event was a rib cook-off competition hosted by Downtown Tupelo Main Street Association.

Cricket Hutcheson, Chase Hill and Todd Johnson 2. Donald Aker, Joey Hughes, Chris Miller and Bennett Maynard

Phillip Goodwin, Turner Beggs, Casey Shackleford and Drew Dobbs

Lisa and Keith Franklin with CJ Doss and Shanna Franklin

Nontianna Binghan with Marcus, Rodney and Jason McCoy

Hunter and Paige Stacks

Jason and Brenda Hammer with Lori and Terry Young

Shelia and Shawn Palmer

Ben Logan, Jackie Ward, Don Lewis, Reed Robison, Alex Farned, Joel Driskell and Denny Wait

PHOTOGRAPHED BY LISA ROBERTS

1. Friends and family of The Main Stitch 2. Matthew Creekmore, Clay Carson and Brock Trautman 3. Jenna Trautman with Bree and Tyler Long

4. Amy and Savannah Forrest with Laney Peters 5. Tracy Jackson and Janice Howard 6. Brandi and Harold Hughes 7. Paige Kirkman and Shannon Wood

Sanctuary Hospice House Celebration Village

The Main Stitch Grand Opening Montessori School of Tupelo Golf Scramble

The 2022 Harvest Supper, an annual event hosted by Friends of the Museum on the grounds of Rowan Oak, drew a crowd of about 600 on Oct. 13. The evening included food, music and an art auction.

Stewart McCullough and Alex Stradinger

Kent Magee with Ronald and Julie Pierotti and Carlyle Lee

PHOTOGRAPHED BY J.R. WILBANKS

CORNHOLE FOR A CURE

BY J.R. WILBANKS

Lamar Yard was the setting for Oxford Cornhole for the Cure on Sept. 26. The tournament was a fundraiser for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Participants raised more than $12,000.

PHOTOGRAPHED

1. Leslie Gordan, Brigham McCraw and Kelly Kessinger 2. Ansley Williams, Mary Trost, Mckenzie Walker and Kelsey Graham 3. Matt and Tammy Parham

4. Breck Jones, Mark Smith and Dylan Hudson 5. Taylor Durham and Carter Shaw 6. Kayla Martin, Atziri Ortiz and Jhoanna Veliz 7. Kim Byler and Caroline Rosser 8. Anna and Sydney Thames 9. Ricky and Katherine Berry

CYSTIC FIBROSIS

FRONT PORCH CONFERENCE

BY J.R. WILBANKS

The Mill at Plein Air in Taylor hosted Conference on the Front Porch Oct. 28-30.

In addition to literature, music, storytelling and bonfires, the event featured keynote speaker Robert Davis, founder of Seaside, Florida, and nine-time CMA Musician of the Year and Belmont native Mac McAnally.

PHOTOGRAPHED

1. Cam Bradford and Irene Dumas Tyson 2. January O’Neill and Cade Smith 3. Gay and Steven Case

4. Dakin Reed and Mary Scott 5. Jodi Penn Rives and Jimmy Brown 6. Liza Mallette and Nani Montague

HALLOWEEN ACTIVITIES

Oxford Halloween weekend activities included Monsters Ball at Oxford Country Club to benefit Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital; the Oxford Police Department’s Haunted House; and the Halloween Spooktacular at Lafayette County Arena sponsored by Family Crisis Services of Northwest Mississippi.

1. Christina Hervey with Shelby and Natalie Hernandez 2. Sawyer Lovelace, Sara Gregor, Cydney Wilson and McKayla Desouza 3. A.J. Kiamie and Charles Turner 4. Kayla Tran and Madelaine Palen 5. Tayonna Smith and Caleb McCullum 6. Lynne Chrestman and Christy Treloar 7. Denise Strub and Susan Eftink 8. Olivia Dolan and Lauren Vanlandingham 9. Angela Terica and Alayah Malone 10. Andrea, Ayers and Liam Spencer

PHOTOGRAPHED BY J.R. WILBANKS

OHS State Swim Meet Tailgate For Palmer

1. Kurre and Lotte Luber with Aubrey and Ann Michael Armstrong 2. Sassy Elite Dymanettes mini squad 3. Breast Cancer Walk participants

Oxford High School Shockwave boys swim team 5. Tailgate For Palmer host committee

GOOD NEIGHBOR

ERIN SMITH

BY LESLIE CRISS | PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOE WORTHEM

An Oxford resident since 2002, Erin Smith, 38, is the founding executive director of CASA of North Mississippi, an advocacy group for local foster children. The nonprofit’s big CASAblanca New Year’s Eve Gala fundraiser happens in Oxford Dec. 31.

Q: What is CASA of North Mississippi and how long has it been around?

A: CASA of North Mississippi is a nonprofit organization that advocates for abused and neglected children through the service of trained, court-appointed community volunteers. We recruit, train and supervise volunteers who go through a 30-hour preservice training, get sworn in by the youth court judge and get assigned to court cases involving children who have been removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect and are in foster care. We advocate for their best interests and provide resources they need while in foster care, visit with the children

regularly and become consistent figures in their lives. Formerly known as CASA of Lafayette County, we started in 2018 but always had the vision to grow. We did that in January 2022 and now serve Lafayette and Lee counties, with plans to expand into Yalobusha, Pontotoc, Union and Marshall counties by the end of 2025.

Q: What inspired you to get involved?

A: I was introduced to CASA as an undergrad at the University of Mississippi and a member of Kappa Alpha Theta. Their national philanthropy is CASA. I knew when I was old enough (you have to be 21 to be a volunteer advocate) I wanted to get involved, but there were no CASA programs in the north part of the state. The closest one was in Memphis, so for four years, I volunteered there; it was then I realized we needed a CASA program in Oxford. I started there and along the way, I found I

was genuinely passionate about helping our most vulnerable population, abused and neglected children. At the end of the day, it is about finding your passion for something that you can do 24/7, 365 days a year, and that is what CASA is to me.

Q: Tell us about the New Year’s Eve party. A: The CASAblanca New Year’s Eve Gala is held at the Powerhouse. We serve a fantastic meal and hold a drawdown (you do not have to be present to win) for a chance to win $5,000. We have casino games, a band and a toast at midnight. Tickets are $100 per person and drawdown tickets are $100. Another annual event is our CASA Superhero Run and Kid’s Fun Run, held on the last Saturday in March. We also host Taters for Tots in Tupelo, which is a baked potato plate drive-thru event that will be held in February. We stay very busy. Our jobs are 24/7, but we love every minute of it.

INTERVIEWED