Invitation Magazine - May 2023

SERVING 10 COUNTIES IN NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI

DEPARTMENTS

ON THE COVER

EVENTS:

OXFORD: Interior designer Baylor Pillow’s work. Pillow’s firm, Beep Designs, services both commercial and residential clients. Read more on page 38.

NORTHEAST: Amanda and Jason Hayden’s Tupelo home is filled with treasures. See more of the Hayden home on page 50.

FEATURES

34 Hydrangea Know-how

Enchanting in any garden, these oldfashioned flowering shrubs tend to live long and prosper in the South.

38 Beep! Beep!

Move over for the interior design genius of young phenom Baylor Pillow, founder and principal designer of Oxford-based firm Beep Design Consulting.

46 ’Shroom To Grow

Mushroom foraging keeps north Mississippians in touch with often overlooked life forms.

50 Homeplace Revival

A Tupelo couple rebuilds a century-old house on family acreage to transform it into their dream home.

LETTER from the PUBLISHER

Search for quotes about “home,” and you will be rewarded with thousands. “Home is where the heart is.” “We shape our homes and then our homes shape us.” “Your home should tell the story of who you are and be a collection of what you love.”

That’s a very tiny sampling of what home means to so many.

Welcome to our Home & Garden issue.

Over the past few months, I have spent more than 30 days in numerous hospitals helping a friend who is having a tough time. I can no longer count the times he’s asked me to take him home, or said, “All I want to do is go to my house.” Just as L. Frank Baum wrote, “There is no place like home.”

It’s true. Homes are special places — places where we can go to find comfort and rest; places where we feel most at peace.

And in this issue, we celebrate homes (and gardens) in the telling of stories about a few special places and beautiful spaces.

You’ll meet Baylor Pillow on page 38, a young interior designer who has a gift for using color and light together to create interesting and peaceful spaces.

Learn how to grow and enjoy hydrangeas on page 34. There’s a lot to know about this simple and beautiful plant. And if you’ve been curious about mushrooms that grow wild in northeast Mississippi, check out the story on page 46.

Amanda and Jason Hayden spent years turning an old family home into their dream house. Read their story on page 50.

As always, it’s our wish that you will enjoy this issue of Invitation. Whether you are reading these pages at your kitchen table, on a comfy sofa in your family room or outside surrounded by colorful flowering plants, take a minute and give thanks for your place called home.

RACHEL M. WEST, PUBLISHER

PUBLISHER

Rachel West

EDITORIAL

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

Emily Welly

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Leslie Criss

OPERATIONS DIRECTOR

Mary Moreton

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Sarah McCullen

Eugene Stockstill

Sonia Thompson

COPY EDITOR

Ashley Arthur

SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR

Mary Kelley Zeleskey

OFFICE

BUSINESS MANAGER

Hollie Hilliard

DISTRIBUTION

Brian Hilliard

MAIN OFFICE

662-234-4008

ART

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Holly Vollor

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Joe Worthem

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Lauretta Piesko

Lisa Roberts

J.R. Wilbanks

ADVERTISING ADVERTISING CONSULTANTS

Alise M. Emerson

Amber Lancaster

Leigh Lowery

Lynn McElreath

Moni Simpson

Whitney Worsham

ADVERTISING DESIGNERS

Paul Gandy

Markka Prichard

ADVERTISING INFORMATION ads@invitationoxford.com

To subscribe to one year (10 issues) or to buy an announcement, visit invitationmag.com.

To request a photographer at your event, email Mary at mary.invitation@gmail.com.

Invitation Magazines respects the many diverse individuals and organizations that make up north Mississippi and strives to be inclusive and representative of all members of our community.

PLEASE RECYCLE THIS MAGAZINE

Celebrate El Cinco de Mayo With Food

DIGITAL details

social SNAPS

We love being tagged in your photos!

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Mississippi is in full bloom! Whether you’re a seasoned green thumb or a brand-new gardener, we’d love to see what you are planting, growing and harvesting. Be sure to share your photos on social media and tag us @invitationoxford and @invitationmagazine for a chance to be included in Social Snaps in an upcoming magazine!

The Square in the spring is just beautiful!

LOCATION: Oxford

USERNAME: @lizcalveryphotos

Mississippi State University Extension

Let’s band together and help our fellow Mississippians!

LOCATION: Oxford

USERNAME: @oxfordcreative

Turn to page 28 for original recipes for oven-baked chicken taquitos, an easy guacamole and a homemade hot sauce that will kick this dinner spread up a notch. Find these recipes and more at invitationmag.com/ food-blog or by following us on social media.

Special thanks to Mississippi State University Extension for their guidance on growing hydrangeas, offered in the story on page 34. Find a wealth of knowledge and information about planting and gardening (and so much more) in the state at extension.msstate.edu.

CALENDAR AND EVENTS

Have an exciting event coming up? Visit our website and share the details on our online community calendar. Photos from your event might be featured in an upcoming magazine!

Charity Ball ’23 you were a night to remember! Thank you @invitationmagazine for sponsoring me!

LOCATION: Tupelo

USERNAME: @morganxhamlin

MAY 2022

Velvet Ditch Gran Fondo

MAY 20

Ride a 20-, 45- or 70-mile route to support the North Mississippi Gnarmadillos Composite MTB Team, made up of local middle and high school mountain bikers. Register online by 5 p.m. May 19 or in person from 5:30-6:30 a.m. at the Old Armory Pavilion. Events begin at 7 a.m. at Oxford Middle School. raceroster.com

Reads, Beats & Eats

MAY 4

The Lafayette County Literacy Council presents the 7th annual Reads, Beats & Eats. With raffles, silent auction, live music by The Loungers, food by A&N Catering and open bar, the event benefits the mission of the council. Purchase tickets, $75, online. 6-9 p.m., Harrison’s 1810. facebook.com/ LafayetteCountyLiteracyCouncil

May Day Celebration

MAY 7

Cedar Oaks Guild hosts a free May Day celebration for the community. There will be a maypole with live music, crafts, games and refreshments. Cedar Oaks, 2-4 p.m. For more information, call Sharon Schreiber, 662-801-1794.

Ole Miss Graduation

MAY 10-14

Graduation exercises take place at the University of Mississippi. Morning Convocation for all graduates is at 8 a.m. May 13 in the Grove.

commencement.olemiss.edu

Oxford Master Gardeners Spring Lecture

MAY 11

Oxford Master Gardeners present Jeff McManus, director of Landscape Services at the University of Mississippi for more than 20 years. McManus will discuss “Pruning Like a Pro.” Noon-1 p.m., Lafayette County & Oxford Public Library. lcmga.org

Tiki & Thai Tasting

MAY 24

Sample food and drink from the South Pacific at YUGO’s monthly tasting event. Tickets $35. 5:30-6:30 p.m., YUGO. yugooxford.com/events

World Old-TimeChampionship Piano Playing Contest

MAY 26-28

Piano players from around the world gather in Oxford to compete, learn and educate people about old-time piano music written prior to 1940 including ragtime, Tin Pan Alley and standard tunes. Find a complete schedule of events and purchase tickets to attend online.

oldtimepianocontest.com

NORTHEAST

Star Wars Day

MAY 4

May the “fourth” be with you for this special screening of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker 4D.” Tickets, $10. 5:30-8 p.m., Magnolia Theatre of New Albany. magnoliatheatrenewalbany.simpletix.com

Blue Suede Cruise

MAY 5-7

Find antique and classic cars, contests, entertainment, cash prize giveaways and more. 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 6-10:45 a.m. Sunday, Cadence Bank Arena. bluesc.com

Tupelo Farmers Depot

MAY 6

It’s opening day! Find locally sourced produce, honey, baked goods, flowers and more. Open 6 a.m.-noon Saturdays through

late October, 415 S. Spring St., Tupelo. tupelomainstreet.com/farmers-depot

County Line Music Fest

MAY 6

The 7th annual festival includes live music, arts and crafts vendors, a cornhole tournament and a singer/songwriter competition. The fun starts at 11:30 a.m. in downtown Baldwyn.

facebook.com/MusicAtTheCountyLine

Coke 10K

MAY 6

The Corinth Coca-Cola Classic 10K Run brings more than 1,000 runners to downtown Corinth for this event that began in 1982. 7:45 a.m., 601 Washington Street, Corinth. corinthcoke.com/coke-10k

Green Market

MAY 6

Find artisans from around the region,

seasonal produce, food trucks and more at Green Market at the Corinth Depot, presented by Crossroads Museum. 9 a.m.-3 p.m., 221 Fillmore St., Corinth. facebook.com/CorinthGreenMarket

Tom Evans Memorial Kentucky Derby Party

MAY 6

Regional Rehab Center’s annual Kentucky Derby Party fundraiser includes a hat contest, live and silent auctions, derby dollars, music, drinks and fun. Tickets, $50. 3 p.m., Tupelo Country Club. regionalrehabcenter.com/events

Northeast Mississippi Rose Show

MAY 11

See a display of award-worthy roses at the annual rose show. Free admission. 9-9:30 a.m., Renasant Bank Atrium, 209 Troy Street, Tupelo. For more information, call Tracy Kramer at 662-419-9737.

Gumtree Art & Wine Festival

MAY 11-14

Featuring artwork, a street party, food and wine tastings, a singer-songwriter competition, a Mother’s Day jazz brunch and more. Read more on page 28. gumtreeartandwinefestival.com

22 Miles for 22 Lives

MAY 15

Hosted by American Legion Post 49, this event brings awareness to the average 22 veteran suicides committed every day. Includes variety of races (22-mile run, 22K, 4-person relays, 2.2-mile hike). Register online. 6 a.m., Tombigbee State Park. runsignup.com

Blessed Are the Peacemakers

MAY 20

Wives of Warriors hosts its 8th annual 5K race. Funds raised provide law enforcement officers in 16 counties with body armor, in remembrance of Sgt. Gale Stauffer and Master Sgt. John Collum. Register online. 7:30 a.m., Fairpark. runsignup.com

SHOUTOUTS

Gumtree Art & Wine Festival

Though the Gumtree Festival celebrated its 50th year in 2022, in one important way, it was a first. The longtime festival was rebranded last year. It’s now known as the Gumtree Art & Wine Festival.

The annual juried arts festival showcases visual and performing arts, and in 2022 festival planners added wine tastings and food pairings to the mix.

Hosted by the Gumtree Museum of Art, this year’s festival, in its 51st year, will be Mother’s Day weekend — May 11 through 14 in downtown Tupelo.

Not only will there be something for everyone at the festival, the population of the city will likely expand by more than 20,000, as art, music, wine and food lovers make their way to Tupelo to share in the fun and festivities.

Artists of myriad mediums will be on hand not only to sell their work but also to demonstrate how they create it. Also on tap are educational art activities,

youth art award ceremonies, live music and entertainment, local food vendors, the Gumball Bash street party, a Mother’s Day jazz brunch and much more.

For a complete schedule of this year’s Gumtree Art & Wine Festival events, visit gumtreeartandwinefestival.com/events.

Southside Gallery Celebrates 30 Years

Oxford’s Southside Gallery at 150 Courthouse Square has for three decades been a space for local and regional artists. It has been owned since November 2002 by Vickie Cook, and her son, Wil, has been director since April 2004. Rod Moorhead and Milly West were the previous owners.

Since the fall of 1993, the gallery has exhibited the work of notable Southern artists. Presently, Southside represents local artists including Jonathan Kent Adams, Jere Allen, Brooke P. Alexander, Charlie Buckley, Adrienne Brown-David, Coulter Fussell, Blair Hobbs, Philip R. Jackson, Younok Jung, Thad Lee, Carlyle Wolfe Lee, Rod Moorhead and Jared Spears. The gallery also exhibits other artists from the Southeast.

“The gallery’s mission is to showcase

upcoming NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI festivals

BLUE SUEDE CRUISE

May 5-7 | Tupelo

COUNTY LINE MUSIC FESTIVAL

May 6 | Baldwyn

CORINTH COCA COLA CLASSIC 10K RUN

May 6 | Corinth

TUPELO ELVIS FESTIVAL

June 7-11 | Tupelo

COLUMBUS JUNETEENTH FESTIVAL

June 16-18 | Columbus

SAM MOSLEY FREEDOM FEST

June 24 | New Albany

SOUTHSIDE TOWNSEND BLUES FESTIVAL

June 30-July 1 | Columbus

SLUGBURGER FESTIVAL

July 6-8 | Corinth

NESHOBA COUNTY FAIR

July 21-28 | Philadelphia

innovative and topical art by artists from the region while developing relationships with collectors and artists who share the same vision and principles,” Wil Cook said.

In May, the gallery will exhibit works by still life painter Samantha Haring, with an opening reception slated for May 5. In June, works by this year’s Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters Award winners Coulter Fussell (visual arts) and David Rae Morris (photography) will be shown, along with works by past recipients. This year’s MIAL Awards Ceremony will be held in Oxford in June as well.

A 30th-anniversary celebration is being planned for Southside for later this year, and everyone is invited. For more information, contact the gallery at 662-234-9090.

Una Cena Para EL CINCO DE MAYO

FOR A COLORFUL, HOMEMADE MEAL PERFECT FOR ANY FIESTA, TRY THESE ORIGINAL RECIPES.

RECIPES BY SARAH M c CULLEN | PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOE WORTHEM

Cinco de Mayo commemorates the day in 1862 that Mexico defeated the French in the Battle of Puebla. In the U.S., it is now an occasion to celebrate Mexican-American culture and traditions. Bring a taste of it to your dinner table with these Mexican-inspired recipes.

CHICKEN verde TAQUITOS

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 (16-ounce) jar salsa verde ½ cup water

1 package corn tortillas

2 to 3 cups grated sharp white cheddar cheese

In a medium saucepan, add chicken, salsa verde and water. Cook over low heat until chicken pulls apart easily, about 1 hour. Remove from heat. Transfer chicken to a plate, reserving salsa verde mixture in pan. Let chicken stand until cool enough to handle, about 30 minutes; shred chicken, and return to salsa mixture in saucepan. Preheat oven to 325°F. Place skillet over low heat. Warm 1 tortilla in skillet about 30 seconds. Top with 2 to 3 tablespoons shredded chicken and sprinkle with cheese. Roll up tortilla, and place on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas, chicken and cheese. Bake in preheated oven until tortillas are browned, about 25 to 30 minutes.

weeknight

GUACAMOLE

3 to 4 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Zest and juice of 1 lime

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon salt

In a small bowl, smash avocado to desired texture. Add cilantro, lime zest and juice, garlic powder, onion powder and salt. Stir well to combine.

Beth's HOT SAUCE

1 (16-ounce) can whole tomatoes

¼ cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lime juice

4 teaspoon white vinegar

1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles, such as Rotel

1 teaspoon olive oil

6 slices canned jalapeno chile slices

Combine all ingredients in a blender, and pulse until smooth.

Hydrangea Know - How

ENCHANTING IN ANY GARDEN, THESE OLD-FASHIONED FLOWERING SHRUBS TEND TO LIVE LONG AND PROSPER IN THE SOUTH.

WRITTEN BY LESLIE

CRISS

When many of us imagine hydrangeas, what comes to mind are the most common type with large, cloud-like tufts of pastel pink, blue and lavender blossoms. With their old-fashioned feel, hydrangeas often grew tall, thick and prolifically around the houses of our grandparents. In addition to being just plain pretty, hydrangeas took on a magical quality when we were told if we stuck a nail in the ground near the plant’s roots and waited patiently, eventually the flowers would change colors.

Turns out there’s much more to them than those most common — and very popular — mophead hydrangeas. And the color change has everything to do with science and the pH of the soil, and not much to do with magic.

Betsy Moore has been a Tupelo Master Gardener for nearly 15 years, and her knowledge of hydrangeas is often shared with the botanically challenged. The truth is this: There is a whole lot of information out there regarding hydrangeas.

The word hydrangea comes from two Greek words, hydro (water) and angeion (vessel), perhaps for the plant’s thirsty habits or because the plant’s seed capsules are shaped like Grecian water jars. Most hydrangeas are native to China, Japan and Korea, though some species originated in the United States.

“They’ve been a familiar part of the Southern landscape since they were imported from Japan in the 1750s,” Moore said.

There are more than 70 species of hydrangeas, and like many flowers and plants, there’s a name for each type, like Ayesha, Blushing Bride, Dooley, Nikko Blue, Penny Mac, Lady in Red, just to name a few. The the publication “Hydrangeas for Mississippi Gardens” by the Mississippi State University Extension, lists the most commercially available.

Continued on page 36

Bigleaf or HydrangeaFrench

There are two categories into which these fall, depending on the shape of the flower head. The most common is the mophead, with its large pom-pom shaped flower. The other category is the lacecap. Bigleafs grow fast and can be 3 to 6 feet tall and about that same width.

Panicle Hydrangea

These grow to 10- to 15-foot shrubs or 25-foot trees. Flowers grow in 10- to 15inch clusters, first white, then pink. Blooms are cone-shaped and enjoy full sun.

Oakleaf Hydrangea

This shrub-like plant grows 6 to 10 feet tall with oak-like leaves that are a red-bronze hue in the fall. White cone-shaped flowers become pinkish with age. Tolerates sun but needs some shade.

Mountain or Sawtooth Hydrangea

This has smaller leaves and flowers but is much like bigleaf hydrangea. Grows 3 to 5 feet tall with dark green leaves, and flowers may be lacecaps or mopheads.

Smooth Hydrangea

Native to Mississippi, these shrubs are 5 to 6 feet, have weak twigs and thin leaves. Flowers are small and greenish white, and they bloom from May to June.

Climbing Hydrangea

This plant is a vine that climbs, has roundlike leaves and white, lacecap flowers.

Continued from page 35

“For the most part, hydrangeas are easy to cultivate, tolerate almost any soil and produce abundant blooms,” Moore said. “Once hydrangeas have been established for a few years, they are very hardy plants.”

She recommends a soil test before planting hydrangeas, and also to help existing hydrangeas.

Old-fashioned or mophead hydrangeas are easy to grow: They need partial shade and a moisture retentive (mulched) bed.

“They are great woodland plants or even planted next to your home as a shelter from sun, especially on the east side or north side,” she said. “The newer varieties are more sun tolerant, like the panicle hydrangeas. Endless Summer varieties look like your grandmother’s hydrangeas but are more sun tolerant and repeat blooming.”

Moore lives where there is dense forest and a multitude of hydrangeas were thriving in the shade of massive trees. When her husband decided to build a shop, 25 40-foot trees were removed.

“The hydrangeas ended up in the sun, but they have done great,” she said.

Hydrangeas like water, but care must still be taken not to overwater. And they can continue to grow or they can be trimmed from time to time. Pruning suggestions differ depending on the species and flowering habit of the hydrangea.

Bigleaf (mophead and lacecap), oakleaf and mountain hydrangeas bloom on old wood or stems from the previous year. These require very little pruning. If it’s needed, it should be done shortly after flowering. For hydrangeas that are older than 4 years old, it is suggested you prune about a third of older stems to the ground and head back other shoots every year to increase bloom volume, help maintain size and improve plant health.

Climbing hydrangeas bloom on old wood, but can be cut back in early years after blooming to keep the plant from being too spindly. Smooth and panicle hydrangeas bloom on new wood, and may be cut to any height in late winter or early spring.

Learn more at extension.msstate.edu in the “Hydrangeas for Mississippi Gardens” publication, No. 2574.

WRITTEN

Baylor Pillow is measuring, moving furniture around, hanging artwork, envisioning. Most of all, on this particular job site — at Magnolia Cannabis Dispensary on West Jackson Avenue in Oxford — he’s hurrying.

Pillow’s consulting firm, Beep, was hired to create the interior design of the new space, and this large commercial project must be finished by a hard deadline. Despite shipping delays, canceled orders and a tight turnaround, he’s going to make sure the store looks perfect by its grand opening.

For Beep Design, that look varies by client to some degree, but all of Pillow’s work has the hallmark of his signature style: a sophisticated use of color and layered textures. Think your chic, rich aunt, but without the stuffiness.

“For me, it’s about finding the yin and yang,” Pillow, 23, said. “I hate an overcoordinated look. I don’t like anything to match, but I like everything to have the same vibe.”

As his Beep Instagram page says, he aims to create interiors that prioritize “comfort, socializing and livability.”

“As long as everywhere you sit, you have somewhere to put a drink and a light,” Pillow said, “the room works.”

Growing up in Greenwood, he always felt an appreciation for beautiful objects and put-together spaces. He attributes some of that to his mother, who he describes as a skilled shopper, and to his godmother, who is an interior designer, too.

“I think there is a certain amount of being from the South that things are done well,” Pillow said. Continued on page 40

Magnolia Cannabis Dispensary

Continued from page 39

He started college at Emory University with a desire to major in art history, but his parents didn’t think that was overly practical or lucrative, so he expanded to a dual major in art history and economics. He graduated from the University of Mississippi in 2021, and the combination proved the exact right mix for starting his own business at such a young age.

The first iteration of Beep (a play on his initials and perhaps even a subconscious nod to his hurry to make things happen), began as a side hustle creating websites during his senior year of college.

“I knew it wasn’t what I wanted to do long term, but I got some clients, and I was like, OK, people think I have good taste and I can navigate running a business,” he said.

From there, he connected with Oxfordbased photographer Ann-Marie Wyatt, who at the time in 2020 was opening White Studio Creative, a marketing agency specializing in cohesive branding. Wyatt brought Pillow on as creative director, where he worked with clients looking to elevate their brands with logo and website design and professional photography.

“He’s such a Jack-of-all-trades; he’s good at everything he attempts to do,” Wyatt said. “And he’s so young! It’s amazing how well-rounded he is. He’s so good with aesthetics. He helped us with styling photo shoots, just everything all the way around at

TAYLOR SQUARE PHOTOGRAPHY

Zoe on the Square

the White Studio. He’s really good at being able to walk into a room and say, ‘This is how things need to look.’”

A White Studio meeting with one client in particular became the most crucial of his career so far.

Toni Capomazza, owner of La Rousse Salon and Zoe on the Square, was looking to reimagine Zoe and turned to the White Studio for help. Pillow worked on her account, and he impressed her.

“Baylor far exceeded my expectations,” Capomazza said. “He basically handed me the vision for a full interior redesign of Zoe, not only the marketing plan we initially met about. I loved everything he proposed so much. It had the exact feel we wanted to achieve.”

It was then that Pillow’s vision for the current model of Beep as an interiors firm came into focus.

“Toni said, ‘You need to redo Zoe,’” Pillow remembers.

So, he did.

Zoe’s pink and coral-colored intertwined serpent wallpaper, the luxurious red and green dressing-room drapery with a bold tiger print, the sophisticated feel of the space in general: all Beep.

The business took off from there. Annie Haymans hired Beep to create the interiors of her Byrd House Café (a little bit of a Scandinavian look mixed with classic white penny tile and a fun navy-

TAYLOR SQUARE PHOTOGRAPHY

Byrd House Café

colored grout). He then scored a handful of consulting jobs from customers just walking into Byrd House and Zoe who liked the spaces. Those projects ranged from Oxford to New Orleans to Atlanta, and even one in southern California. A job in Tennessee is wrapping up. And he has about 10 more projects in the works, a mix of residential and commercial spaces.

His services range from creating interiors for entire new houses to clients who just need help refreshing one room. Pillow welcomes all types of projects with enthusiasm, but cautions that he is not a full-service design firm. “I’m just one man,” he said, laughing. “I cannot assemble all your furniture.”

But he continues to take on jobs that excite him, and draws inspiration from some of his favorite designers, including Rita Konig (“Everything she does is so comfortable”); Ashley Whittaker (“She does the uncoordinated look so well”); Suzanne Rheinstein (“She’s really mellow, someone I look to when I need to dial back a little bit”); and Katie Ritter (“She can do anything; she has great range”).

Eventually, he sees a future for Beep that is less limited by geography. He imagines a home-base office in the South while traveling nationally and internationally for clients. But for once, he’s not in a hurry.

“Oxford is the kind of small town everybody wants to live in,” he said. “It has a lot of taste.”

TAYLOR SQUARE PHOTOGRAPHY

An Oxford living room features a Moattar rug designed by Pillow.

‘Shroom Grow

MUSHROOM FORAGING KEEPS NORTH MISSISSIPPIANS IN TOUCH WITH OFTEN OVERLOOKED LIFE FORMS.

WRITTEN BY EUGENE STOCKSTILL | PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOE WORTHEM

If you have young children in the house, there’s a good chance you may have given more than a passing thought to the great big world of mushrooms. Wondered if the extra-colorful ones are the poisonous ones or if you can touch any of them without getting sick or if you can eat a raw one, all because an awestruck little explorer started pointing them out to you in the backyard one warm summer morning.

“They can spot them before you can,” Oxford mother of three and mushroom enthusiast Angie Getz said. “It’s a treasure hunt. It’s exploration. You’re going to see something interesting. You can pick them, take them home, then find out about them.”

For the record, it’s usually best to cook an edible foraged mushroom before consumption, and some edibles have an uber-funky taste you may not enjoy too much. Some have a bitter taste.

Yes, you can touch any mushroom on the planet without any unpleasant sideeffects, and you can lick them, too, though not everyone recommends this.

But do not use taste or color to try to identify a poisonous mushroom. Instead, nail down a species and then research details. “There are no shortcuts,” said Dr. Jason Hoeksema, a biology professor at the University of Mississippi who does extensive mushroom research.

A Hoeksema community lecture on mushrooms wound up hooking Getz on the foraging process and awakening her to a burgeoning part of this state’s biodiversity that tends to get ignored.

“He talked about how we live in this great pocket where we have this incredible diversity of mushrooms,” Getz, a Mississippi State University biology graduate, said. “I’d never thought about it.”

Hoeksema will give a community lecture on mushrooms at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 17 at the Lee Tartt Nature Preserve in Grenada. Cost is $20 per person. For details, visit friends-of-cs.org/events.

Mushrooms seem to make most passersby think of one of two things: A pizza topping that some people detest, or a drug

that may give you a multicolored vision of a reincarnated John Lennon floating in the sky on a bed of diamond-shaped clouds.

But there is much more to mushrooms.

“Mushrooms have superpowers,” Hoeksema said. “Their enzymes and other chemicals allow them to impact the world in many important ways, helping plants grow, decomposing waste to create nutrients, and providing nutritious food for humans.”

Ready

mushroom facts: fun

Mushrooms are neither plants or animals but fungi, a huge group of organisms that includes rust, yeast and molds. Dr. Egon Spengler on “Ghostbusters” (played by Harold Ramis) collected “spores, molds and fungus,” remember?

More than 550 species of mushrooms have been collected in north Mississippi in the last 10 years. Around the world, more than 14,000 species have been identified, and close to 1 million species are thought to exist.

A mushroom is the smaller, fruiting part of a much larger living organism. One such weblike structure located underground in Oregon is 2.4 miles long and may be the largest living organism on Earth. A similar one lives underground in Michigan.

Mushrooms repopulate via spores. Common flies, for example, transport the spores of the garbage-scented Stinkhorn mushrooms from place to place.

There are current edible species that grow to the size of large umbrellas.

With proper dosage and supervision, some psychoactive mushrooms that contain nonaddictive chemicals like Psilocybin show medical promise.

Some mushrooms grow on the ground, others on trees.

Or with your family? Try the Facebook group Mushrooms of Mississippi. And keep an eye out during the steamiest summer days. You’ll think it’s a mushroom invasion.

“I turned my husband into a geek,” Getz said. “He’s great at spotting Chicken of the Woods,” a rather uncommon, edible, orange-colored bracket fungus. The Getz family found one that weighed more than five pounds and feasted on it for days.

“It is great battered and fried — it tastes just like fried chicken,” she said. “I’ve put it in pasta dishes, stir fry, and, yes, fajitas.”

One of the real benefits of mushroom foraging, she said, is learning to appreciate what’s different, rather than fearing the unknown. Think of Steve “The Crocodile Hunter” Irwin marveling at the beauty of a dangerous spitting cobra, or famous researcher Marie Curie, who once said that “nothing is to be feared, only understood.”

Safe mushrooming takes time and care. Consider this: The poisonous jack-o’-lantern mushroom, which can cause vomiting and diarrhea, and the edible chanterelle mushroom look quite similar. But jacko’-lanterns have true gills, like pages of a book, while chanterelles have smaller ridges under the caps. Jack-o’-lanterns are typically brighter and larger, and grow in clusters, mostly during fall, while chanterelles usually grow in summertime. Both can appear at the same time, though.

“It’s very hands-on,” Getz said. “You have to pick it, look under the cap, study it.”

to nerd out WITH a mushroom-foraging group yet?

The place Amanda and Jason Hayden call home is in the Belden community on a portion of 130 acres that have long been in Amanda’s family. The 102-yearold house the couple rebuilt — with help from a few friends — is also part of Amanda’s family.

Before the home had its current address, it sat a few miles further south on McCullough Boulevard, but in 1960, Amanda’s maternal great-grandfather, David Scott, bought the house and had it moved close to where it now sits.

“The house was cut in half in order to move it,” Amanda said. “Actually, it’s been moved twice.”

Multiple family members called the house home through the years. The Haydens moved in and spent nearly a decade in the house before purchasing it in 2015 from Bobbie Scott, Amanda’s maternal grandmother, now 91 and living next door.

“The house was pretty much just falling down around us,” Jason said.

The structure had been sitting on the ground for years, causing a great deal of damage especially on one side. While crucial foundation work was being done, the couple asked workers if they might just pick up the house and move it a little closer to the lake that sits behind it. They did.

The couple, both 43, have been married 19 years and have owned and operated Cafe 212 in Tupelo for 17 years. They’d talked about one day finding their dream home.

It was a stomach bug that grabbed hold of Amanda and prompted a serious conversation about improving the then onebathroom house.

“After that, we decided to add a second bathroom and a porch,” she said.

From there, the Haydens’ plans began

expanding. Adding a bathroom and a porch morphed into adding an entire second floor and three porches. The house was pretty much taken down to the studs to begin again. A project they thought would take six months to a year ended up taking five years.

“We loved this spot with the lake,” Amanda said. “My brother lives across the street; my parents live down the road; and my grandmother lives next door. We decided just to make this house our dream home.”

The Haydens sing the praises of a trio of creative friends who helped with the renovation. Gary Campbell designed the kitchen; Josh Knighton did much of the custom woodwork, like countertops, floating shelves in the kitchen and more; and Jeremy Lewis did the screened back porch, which is home to an oversized swing built by William Riley, Amanda’s dad.

Much of the work on the house was

done by Jason and his father-in-law.

“I learned everything from her dad or from YouTube,” he said. “For three and a half or four years, I was here after we finished at the cafe every single day. I’d work here until after sundown, and I was burned out. That’s when we started hiring people out to come do work.”

Lots of lessons were learned in the five years the Haydens renovated. Amanda shares one she hopes might help others.

“I would tell anyone who owns their own business and has thoughts of building or renovating to hire a contractor,” she said.

Very few cross words were exchanged by the couple during the renovation of the house they share with Oso and Biscuit, two adorable pups.

“We are used to working with each other,” Jason said. “We both stressed together over the same things.”

Amanda nodded her head in agreement.

“And Jason knows when I need space,” she said.

When members of her family finally were able to see the finished house, their kind words served as affirmation that the job was well done. At Christmas 2022, the Haydens hosted family and had 54 guests.

“Most of them said they didn’t even recognize the house the way we’d opened it up,” Amanda said. “They loved it.”

And the couple’s love for their dream home is evident as they proudly offer a tour of the house’s interior, starting in the living room with a mantel that is original to the house. Lined up above the mantel are old cameras from Amanda’s collection. On the opposite side of the living room is Jason’s favorite thing — a patchwork wall made up of various sizes, kinds and colors of wood.

“I wanted one wall where all the

“C M Powell built this house in the fall of 1921” is scribbled in pencil on an original piece of the home.

original wood from the house could be seen,” he said. “Of course, over the course of five years, our vision changed, but this one didn’t.”

If Amanda has a place in the house she favors over others, it would likely be the place she calls her pillow fort — the alcove only steps away from the top of the stairs. It’s a perfect spot for reading, thinking, napping, and it’s been claimed by Amanda.

The house is made up of many treasures, most accompanied by stories of where things came from and how the Haydens ended up with them.

Like her husband’s favorite patchwork wall, Amanda’s favorite thing hangs on a wall in the wide middle hallway. It’s a flag emblazoned with “Welcome to Visala,” a city in California. Ironically, she found it folded up in an antiques store in Pensacola, Florida. She paid $10 for it and saved it for when she had her forever home.

“I did some research on the flag and learned it was from a festival that used to take place in Visala,” she said. “One woman I spoke to wanted to buy it from me, but I told her I would not sell for any price. The flag finally has a home.”

There’s a fireplace built from the bricks of old Tupelo streets.

“When the workers were taking up the bricks, we’d trade coffee for bricks,” Amanda said, laughing. “Some of the bricks are out at the Oren Dunn Museum.”

One treasure, original to the house, was almost destroyed by a saw, but Jason noticed writing on a board and stopped. Scribbled onto a board used in the construction of the house was this: “C M Powell built this

house in the fall of 1921.” The board now hangs in a place of prominence at the foot of the staircase.

A door from the Bank of Okolona was made into pocket doors in the downstairs bathroom. The door handles came from the New York Plaza Hotel. An old bar door that was once part of the TKE building (Thomas, Kincannon & Elkin Drug Store) at 202 West Main St., is now part of the kitchen. The kitchen, by the way, was designed around a table and bench seats — a corner breakfast nook — Amanda found on Craigslist. The backsplash came from tin Jason found out in the pasture. The sliding barn door that opens into the game room was built by Jason out of wood from Vanelli’s on North Gloster Street that was destroyed by a tornado in 2014. The game room walls are old floorboards, and a restored vintage pinball machine graces one corner.

“A whole lot of Tupelo history was forced into this house,” Jason said.

As the tour continues, it’s clear that it all fits — every piece of history that means something to the Haydens — as if it is exactly where it was meant to be.

“I feel like anytime someone comes over for the first time, it’s like I’m trying to explain and introduce who I am through my house and my collection of treasures,” Amanda said. “It’s kind of a weird and vulnerable experience. But our hands were in everything. This house is so custom, it’s just how we envisioned it.”

CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL

Tupelo’s annual Cherry Blossom Festival took place the afternoon of March 25 at Ballard Park. The festival gives paticipants a chance to experience and learn about Japanese culture and traditions.

PHOTOGRAPHED BY LISA ROBERTS

1. Sydney Mattox and Shanta Jones 2. Kay and James Rice

3. Leo Laubhan and Reid Sewell 4. Pearl and Takehiro Ohira

5. A.K. and Kana Peters 6. Mackenzie, Natalie and Gavin Vic 7. Toshiko Ihara and Katsura Jones

MONSTER TRUCK JAM

The volume inside Cadence Bank Arena in Tupelo was at a high level as Monster Jam once again brought its 12,000-pound monster trucks to town for competition and crazy fun for all ages in early March.

PHOTOGRAPHED BY LISA ROBERTS

1. Zach Beckum, Cejay Hodge and Blaize Williams 2. Amanda Pounders with Devin, Wyatt and Brooklyn Rost

3. Gabe, Dexton, Blair, Teresa, Colby and Cyston Butler 4. Dustin and Gunner Hendrix with Whitney Owen 5. Addison Mann, Kendra Davidson and Nora Smith

6. Alisa King with Terrance, Braylon, Mazi and Stephanie Ashford 7. Jordan Doxier with Bridgett, Bostyn, Cayson and T.J. Lindsey

BARBECUE COMPETITION

Natchez Trace Golf Club’s 5th annual barbecue competition took place March 10 and 11. Friday’s competitors cooked up chicken wings, and Saturday participants competed for best pork ribs.

PHOTOGRAPHED BY LISA ROBERTS

1. Dee Coleman, Miles Patton, Jared Hundley, Kris Delgrandel and Luke McAlpine 2. Copey Granthum, Tyrone Heard, Barry Replogle, Barrett Brady, Mark Hinton, Tyler Tucker, Drew Clayton and David Gilliland 3. Stephanie Brady, Ashley Gilliland, Kristen Tucker, Kayla Clayton, Carson Lancaster, Broole Hinton and Tessa Chapman 4. Clay and Lee Davis with Erica White, Jake Logan, Meg Whitehead and Matt Belk 5. Scott Fowler, Pon and Cheryl Keokominh, Bradford and Jennifer Ridgway 6. David and Connor Gable 7. Keith and Ashley Lindsey with Kim McKissack, Chris, Magean and Tommy Kemp

“CINDERELLA”

Tupelo’s Civic Ballet performed “Cinderella”

March 25 at the Civic Auditorium at Tupelo Middle School. The ballet company presents annual productions and performs regularly at community events. Learn more about them at civicballet.org.

PHOTOGRAPHED BY LISA ROBERTS

1. Ansley Sharp, Sara Catherine Wood and Mary Evelyn Maynard 2. Caroline Buse, Ivey Kate Brand and Riley Williams

3. Anna Claire Wells and Nora Averett 4. Aria Hall and Emma Davis 5. Emma Jane Poole, Stella Vitagliani and Maggie Yielding

6. London Gates, Elenor Nichols, Emma Dendy, Ruthie McCord and Charlee White 7. Hannah Ard and Cameron Stevens

LinkFest

Downtown Tupelo Cleanup Day

1. Mary, Zac, Savannah and Webb Tucker 2. Jessica Collins, Toni Gough Doyle and Kelley Vance 3. Cindy Jones, C.A. Bennett and Rylie Jones

4. Carlton Hall, Julie Seawright, Melanie Deas, Amanda Koonaba, Pat Falknew and Scott Mattox

5. Juwan and Jabriel Cayson with Andrew and James Winfun, Jaquan Cayson and Charles Sim

Downtown Tupelo Spring Open House

OUT & ABOUT

Wing Fest Tupelo

2. Lola Whitenton and Danika Hunter

2. Jared Funderburk, Ebony Campbell and Emily Reed 3. Donna and Darrell Lariviere

4. Octavia Knowles, Takeyda Hurd and Nytoshia Ball 5. Kathy and Ron Thompson

6. Johnny Fort Jr. and Vanessa Satterwhite 7. Miracle Hereford, Ahirasthe Glass and Jasmine Hereford

Tupelo Con 2023

OLE MISS BASEBALL

More than 9,500 fans watched Ole Miss baseball take on Arkansas State at Swayze Field in Oxford on Feb. 21. Ole Miss won the game with a decisive 11-3 victory.

PHOTOGRAPHED BY J.R. WILBANKS

1. Wade and Sandra Clark 2. Bill and Lorraine Hester

3. Natalie Barnes, Maggie Gaines and Madeline Mueller 4. Reagan Spreafico, Ann Marie Edwin, Kim Elliott and Kayla Willard

5. Austin Smith, Billy Shakes and Elliot Willard 6. Bruce Newman and Sox Richardson 7. Kaleigh Keel with Mary-Hayden and Hayden Hankins

RED DRESS GALA

The Alpha Phi chapter at Ole Miss held its annual Red Dress Gala Feb. 25 at The Jefferson. The event is held to raise funds for Alpha Phi’s philanthropy, women’s heart health.

1. Mia Martinez, Bay Brown and Madelyn Shifflet 2. Grey Inhat, Ayden McDermot, Marseille Landry and Lily Robinson 3. Madi Bradley and Sydney Scallorn 4. Jenna, Emily, Abby and Mark Stratton 5. Eva Schulman, Sophia Trotta and Presley Klasson 6. Hope Etnoyer, Hallie VanLingen and Mallery Uselton 7. Brent, Laura and Trina Brown 8. Jim, Kelsey and Gina Artman 9. Will Truett and Audrey Sandefur 10. Eric and Erika Bodenhausen

PHOTOGRAPHED BY LAURETTA PIESKO

REBELTHON

Ole Miss’ 11th annual student-driven dance marathon, RebelTHON, raised $211,530 for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospital at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. More than 1,000 students took part in the event in late February.

1. Leo Frank, Ben Pannell and Trey Roten 2. Brady Wood, Blythe Burcham and Haley Combs

3. Rebecca Burrow, Dabney Flynt, Sarah Elizabeth Long and Avery Thigpen

4. Catherine Freeman and Kimble McDonald 5. Hailey Heafner and Brenna Thomas 6. Rob Embry and Haley Cote

7. M.C. Simons and Belle Blasdel 8. Katie Morris and Keely May 9. Makayla Smith and Maddie Grace Lightsey

10. Cheyann Jordhamo and Sierra Humphries 11. Caitlyn Kelley and Macleigh Guest 12. Nicholas Hopkins and Maddie Barton

PHOTOGRAPHED BY J.R. WILBANKS

CHILDREN’S BOOK FESTIVAL

The Children’s Book Festival drew kids of all ages to the Ford Center March 31. Firstgrade author Pat Zietlow Miller and fifthgrade author Sheila Turnage signed books at Square Books, Jr. The festival serves more than 1,200 first graders and fifth graders in Lafayette County and Oxford.

PHOTOGRAPHED BY LAURETTA PIESKO

1. Catherine Porter and Emma Abbott 2. Mary Love McLarty and Haleigh Grace Massey

3. Maciej Mack, Austin Thomas, Katherine Barefoot and Rivah Armstrong 4. Rylee Giles and Kathryn Barnett 5. Sarah Alden Love and Emmy Satterwhite

OXFORD FILM FESTIVAL

The 20th annual Oxford Film Festival, celebrating the art of independent films and filmmaking, took place the first week of March. It included screening and judging documentaries, narrative features, documentary shorts, LGBTQIA films and much more.

1. Cullen Mooney, Nikki Wilcox, Samantha Rice and Jordan White 2. Arkasha McGinness, Will Jones and Aaron Barrow 3. Kass and Cassandra Welchlin with Antonio Tarrell 4. Taylor Ben, Mark Williams and Alana Billy Brighton

5. Angela and Emily White 6. Briscoe and Baylee Briscoes 7. Linder Bolton, Jessica Baldwin and Mary Bolton Warren 8. Hailey Long and Annelise Osborne 9. Thomas Burton and Hunter Heath 10. Megan Plotcka and Wendi Cooper

PHOTOGRAPHED BY J.R. WILBANKS

CASA Superhero Run Oxford Vintage Market

1. Robert and Leighton Mason 2. Ann Heaton, Mary Madison Tyler, Lynley-Love Jones, Marla Miller and Mary Margaret Wamble 3. Claire and Todd Williamson 4. Superhero run participants 5. Olivia Rychlak and Jake Bibb 6. Challenge Barnes and Nicole Miller 7. Kara Parham, Sydney Fields and Bailey Lincoln 8. Liz Cassidy, Latoya McClay and Mary Adams Kinney 9. Stephanie Fisher, Hannah Dye, Corinne Fikes and Emily McElreath

Chi Omega and Tri Delta Alumnae Crush Party

Junior Auxiliary Spring Fling

MONTHLY MUSINGS

INTERVIEWED BY LESLIE CRISS | PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOE WORTHEM

As executive director of the North Mississippi Chapter of the American Red Cross, K.C. Grist helped lead recovery efforts in the region in the wake of devastating tornadoes this spring. We asked her this: In your work in Amory in the hours and days after the March 24 tornado, what did you witness that gave you hope that the spirit of kindness and community are still alive?

WHEN DISASTER STRIKES, NORTH MISSISSIPPI SHOWS UP.

Almost as soon as the winds die down, people start showing up with food, water, chain saws and tarps.

Ordinary people do extraordinary things. Kevin Caldwell opened his furniture factory in Amory on Friday night (March 24) shortly after the tornado and sheltered 100 people… and his family turned an unused portion of their factory into a full-scale distribution center for all the donated items that began coming into Amory almost immediately.

I am humbled by the dedication of volunteers who come from all over the country. Days after the tornado, I spent some time in the shelter set up in the Old Armory in Amory. I met about 10 volunteers who had come to help. They came from Massachusetts, Oregon, Illinois, Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, Utah, North Dakota and Georgia. These people stopped what they were doing in their own lives and came to Amory, Mississippi, to help. I never cease to be amazed by this outpouring of support.

A native of Tupelo, K.C. Grist is the executive director of the North Mississippi Chapter of the American Red Cross. She began working with Red Cross in January 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic. Grist graduated from Tupelo High School and the University of Mississippi and has spent more than 30 years working in the nonprofit sector. She has been married for 22 years to Joey Grist and they are the parents of two sons, J.T., 20, and Jimmie, 17.

An Amory church following the March 24 tornado.