Wide-Open Outdoors

G E T O U T S I D E A N D E X P E R I E N C E T H E B E A U T Y OF NATURE IN NORTH MISSISSIPPI.

PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOE WORTHEM

Wall Doxey State Park

Located just 7 miles outside of Holly Springs, Wall Doxey State Park is centered around a 60-acre spring-fed lake. Originally developed in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps, the park includes a 2.5-mile nature trail, a picnic area and disc golf courses.

Puskus Lake

A recreation area in Holly Springs National Forest, Puskus Lake is a remote and quiet 96-acre lake stocked primarily with largemouth bass and bluegill. Facilities include 19 campsites, 13 picnic sites, a boat ramp, fishing piers and a onemile hiking trail.

Arkabutla Lake

Arkabutla Lake is a reservoir located southwest of Hernando on the Coldwater River in DeSoto and Tate counties. In addition to boating and fishing, the land surrounding the lake is used for horseback riding, hiking and biking. The recreational area also includes facilities for camping, swimming and picnicking.

Sardis Lake

At more than 98,000 acres, Sardis Lake is a destination for fishing and boating in north Mississippi. Recreation areas around the reservoir also offer opportunities for hunting, camping, hiking, mountain biking and picnicking.

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Tishomingo State Park

In the foothills of the Appalachians, near the Mississippi-Alabama border, Tishomingo State Park claims the highest natural point in Mississippi. In addition to hiking and bouldering, visitors can enjoy rappelling off the point of Jean’s Overhang. Located on Bear Creek, a tributary of the Tennessee River, Tishomingo also has a small lake where people can canoe, kayak and fish. Dating to the 1930s, camping cabins and other park facilities are built from local stone, and the park also features a historic trapper’s cabin.

Visitors should contact specific locations before visiting as facilities such as visitor centers, interpretive centers, museums, field offices and select recreation facilities, including campgrounds and beaches, may be temporarily closed.

Holly Springs National Forest

One of six national forests in the state, Holly Springs National Forest covers portions of Benton, Lafayette, Marshall, Tippah, Union and Yalobusha counties. Its 155,000 acres of national forest land boast small lakes and pine forests in a habitat that encourages native plant species to thrive. Visitors will find trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding, and some of the lakes offer fishing and swimming.

GROCERY STORE WORKERS

Chicory Market, Oxford Larson’s Cash Saver, Oxford

Roger’s, Corinth

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Piggly Wiggly, Pontotoc Piggly Wiggly, Bruce

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1. Chicory Market employees 2. Katherine Lovelace, Teresa Griffin (manager), Linda Henry, Passion Gipson and Shanika Marshall 3. Halley Lewis and Jason Dickey 4. Madalyn Red 5. Kimberly Cook and Loretta Collins

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Southern Craft Stove + Tap

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Tupelo Public School District

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1-4. Bubba Gross, owner of Southern Craft Stove + Tap in Oxford and Tupelo, helps bring donated meals to essential workers at Baptist Memorial Hospital. 5. Terry Marion, Nancy Gilliam, Kim Foster and Geneva Osborne serve lunch to a Tupelo student. 6. Terry Marion 7. Jim Yates offers a meal to a Tupelo student.

GOVERNMENT WORKERS

Oxford Fire Department Tupelo Police Lafayette County Sheriffs

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Oxford City Workers

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1. Corey Williams, Rochelle Harwood, Allen Brown and Keith Edwards 2. Josh Miller and Jess Carter 3. Tony Halcin, Justin Wilson, Will Tidwell, Bill Rodela and Tim Ware 4. Oxford Mayor Robyn Tannehill 5. Cathead Distillery’s Comfort & Mercy hand sanitizer. In April, the City of Oxford partnered with the Jackson distillery to package its sanitizer and distribute it in the community. 6. Ben Requet 7. Mollie Woodhouse 8-11. Lafayette County first responders took part in many birthday parades while residents were under orders to stay at home. Pictured are birthday parades for Hannah Kate King and sisters Eva Kate and Eleanor Mitchell.

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Birthday Parades

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HEALTH CARE WORKERS

Magnolia Regional Health Center

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Phillips Pediatrics

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Oxford Rx

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1. Dr. Jeremy Graham 2. Theresa Roseberry 3. Patton Bennett and John Parvin 4. Lynn O’Brien 5. Hannah Thompson 6. Andrew and Jessica Mathias with Dr. Catherine Phillips 7. Kenisha Campbell, Paula McLarty, Marti White and Mary John White 8. Mary John White 9. Jacob Rowland and Eli Johnson 10. Tonya Carlock, Elaine Prillhart, Carol Upton, Madalyn Carter and Leigh-Ann Croder 11. Joyce McCain and Nicole Ryan 12. Barbara Jones and Patrick Emerson

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Orthopaedic Institute

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NMMC Gilmore-Amory

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HEALTH CARE WORKERS

Specialty Orthopedic Group Chaney’s Pharmacy

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Relias Healthcare

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1. Jennifer Cochran, Victoria White, Charlsi Allen, Annette Morgan, Allisa Hood, Lindsey Lee and Savana Armstrong 2. Melanie Sharp, Ashden Grimes, Dr. Phillip Sandifer, Caroline Stinson, Jennifer Anderson, Jordan Ciaramitaro and Miranda Bennett 3-4. North Mississippi Medical Center and Relias Healthcare employees 5. Lori Elliott 6. Carrie Cooper

HEALTH CARE WORKERS

North Mississippi Medical Center, Tupelo

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Baldwyn Nursing Facility

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Pulmonary Consultants, Tupelo

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1. Sonya Phillips helps COVID-19 patient Charlotte Knight connect with family through technology. 2. Ashley Frazier with a donation of disinfectant spray and wipes from North Pontotoc Elementary School teachers Angie McDonald and Kimberly Ball. 3. Lowell Walker and Don Simmons from the NMMC Pastoral Care Department hold a Blessing of the Hands for COVID-19 staff members. 4. Jason Terry, Shasta Hollins and Allen Ricks 5. Dee Dee Bates 6. Bamby Petty 7. Gwen Renfrow 8. Darlene Paden and Kiedra Knox 9. Barry Keel and Bertha Matthews

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Home Care Hospice

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NMMC West Point

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GOOD NEIGHBOR

MAGGIE CARROLL

INTERVIEWED BY LESLIE CRISS | PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOE WORTHEM

Tippah County native Maggie Carroll was recently the recipient of rousing applause and a standing ovation from employees and staff members of North Mississippi Medical Center. The occasion? The 52-year-old Carroll was the first COVID-19 patient on a ventilator to be released from the Tupelo hospital. Carroll, a Cotton Plant resident and a cashier at Dirt Cheap, entered the hospital March 26. She was hospitalized 22 days and was on a ventilator 13 of those days.

Q: When did you first notice you might be experiencing symptoms of the coronavirus and what were those symptoms? A: On March 26, I got up to go to work, and I had chest pain and was having a hard time breathing. I didn’t think about it being one of the signs of the virus. But I went to the emergency room in Ripley to get it checked out, and I’m glad I did. I was taken by ambulance to NMMC.

Q: How did it feel to be hospitalized, all alone with family and friends unable to be with you? A: I had never been hospitalized before so I didn’t know what to expect. It was lonely, but the phone calls helped.

Q: When you were placed on a ventilator, were you afraid you might not leave the hospital alive? A: I don’t have any memory of being on the ventilator, but I know I must have been scared and put it in God’s hands. Because of His grace and mercy, He brought me through.

Q: Describe the feelings you had the day you were wheeled out of the hospital, surrounded by applause, to go home.

A: I was very emotional and happy that I made it out. I was overwhelmed by the staff cheering for me. I want to thank everyone that took care of me at NMMC.

Q: What words of wisdom would you share today with people about the seriousness of the virus?

A: I just want to encourage everyone to take it seriously. Please, wear your masks and wash your hands or use hand sanitizer. It might not affect you, but you can affect someone else and contribute to their illness and possible death. This virus is serious, and I want you to take it seriously. Think of your family, your friends and yourselves.