June july 2018 by Legends Magazine

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JUNE / JULY 2018

The indelible legacy of the actress and the entrepreneur

Twin Engines, A New Dig on the Block

Whynot's Spencer and Ellie Hughes

Vicksburg's Cottonwood Public House M I S S I S S I P P I â&#x20AC;&#x2122; S A W A R D - W I N N I N G C O N S U M E R T R AV E L P U B L I C AT I O N W W W. R E A D L E G E N D S . C O M

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Where will your next adventure take you? Whatever your next outdoor adventure may be, we have you covered. From hiking to boating to rock climbing and more, our highways, byways and back roads can take you there. And MDOT travel resources makes the trip smooth and easy. From traffic alerts and road conditions, to weather forecasts and more, MDOT gives you the travel information you need for your next adventure. You can access it all from our mobile app, your computer or by calling 511. Find out more at MDOTtraffic.com.

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EXPERIENCE THE MAEEX,

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Contact LEGENDS 601-604-2963 Editorial/Advertising - 601-604-2963 | Editor@ReadLegends.com Contributing writers: Meghan Holmes and Julian Rankin Contributing photographer: Michael Barrett LEGENDS welcomes your calendar submissions. Calendar submissions for consideration in LEGENDS’ print calendar may be sent to Editor@ReadLegends.com.

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CONTENTS JUNE | JULY 2018

MUSIC 38 Festival South Highlights

Hattiesburg's Yearly Music Event

LITERARY 8 The Dependables

An excerpt from Catfish Dream: Ed Scott’s Fight for His Family Farm and Racial Justice in the Mississippi Delta

CULTURE 18 In History's Faded Footsteps Vicksburg'a Heritage Walking Tours

24 COVER STORY: Saving Home

The Indelible Legacy of the Actress and the Entrepreneur

32 Two Engines, One Track ABOUT OUR COVER

At home in Meridian, Sela Ward's and Howard Sherman’s community involvement reaches far beyond Hope Village for Children, each of them participating in various local projects, such as the the recently-opened Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience. Ward is a Golden Globe and two-time Emmy winner who starred on Sisters and Once & Again and such films as The Fugitive and Gone Girl. Sherman is a businessman and entrepreneur currently running for a seat in the United States Senate. (Photo by Marianne Todd).

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Whynot's Spencer and Ellie Hughes

CULINARY 12 Vicksburg's Cottonwood Public House A New Dig on the Block

EVENTS 47 What's Shakin' in the Cradle Calendar of Events

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2018 Spring/Summer

Performing Arts Series

William Bell Tribute to Memphis Soul Revue Thursday, June 14 | 7:30 p.m. With the Take Me to the River tour (also spotlighting bluesman Bobby Rush and songwritersinger Don Bryant), William Bell is bringing back the Memphis music scene he helped create. In the 1960s, Bell worked for the legendary Stax Records in his hometown of Memphis, writing such classics as “You Don’t Miss Your Water” and “Born under a Bad Sign.” His own hit recordings include “Any Other Way,” “Everybody Loves a Winner,” and “Tryin’ to Love Two.” He still commands a stage and sings straight from the soul: Last year, his latest album, This Is Where I Live, won a Grammy Award. For Fans of: Percy Sledge, Johnnie Taylor, Otis Redding

Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo Tuesday, July 17 | 7:30 p.m. Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo have formed one of the most successful partnerships in music history. During their nearly fourdecade career, they have won an unprecedented four consecutive Grammy awards, as well as three American Music awards. Their undeniable chemistry, Benatar’s mezzo-soprano vocal range and Giraldo’s trail blazing work as a producer, guitarist and songwriter created some of rock’s most memorable hits. These include, “Promises in the Dark”, “Hell is For Children”, We Live For Love”, Sponsored by: “Love Is A Battlefield”, “Hit me with Your Best Shot” and “We Belong.” Their rock and roll love affair has endured for 38 years and they continue to tour every year, wowing audiences everywhere.

MSU Riley Center Box Office | 2200 Fifth Street | Meridian, MS 39301 601.696.2200 | www.msurileycenter.com

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Catfish Dream centers around the experiences, family, and struggles of Ed Scott Jr. (born in 1922), a prolific farmer in the Mississippi Delta and the first ever nonwhite owner and operator of a catfish plant in the nation. Both directly and indirectly, the economic and political realities of food and subsistence affect the everyday lives of Delta farmers and the people there. Ed’s own father, Edward Sr., was a former sharecropper turned landowner who was one of the first black men to grow rice in the state. Ed carries this mantle forth with his soybean and rice farming and later with his catfish operation, which fed the black community both physically and symbolically. He provides an example for economic mobility and activism in a region of the country that is one of the nation’s poorest and has one of the most drastic disparities in education and opportunity, a situation especially true for the Delta’s vast African American population. With Catfish Dream Julian Rankin provides a fascinating portrait of a place through his intimate biography of Scott, a hero at once so typical and so exceptional in his community. Julian Rankin is the recipient of the Southern Foodways Alliance’s first annual residency at Rivendell Writers Colony and is the director of the Center for Art & Public Exchange at the Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson. 8•

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STORY FROM THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA

The

Dependables By JULIAN RANKIN

An excerpt from Catfish Dream: Ed Scott’s Fight for His Family Farm and Racial Justice in the Mississippi Delta

cott’s Fresh Catfish opened on a cold, clear February day in Many of Scott’s workers had been desperate for gainful 1983. The air pulsed with excitement. Family, friends, and employment for months or years. Scott gave them jobs and offered newly hired plant workers milled in the gravel drive between them purpose. He trusted and inspired them. Black workers the plant and the Scotts’ home … Applause and hollering erupted staffed the larger processing plants, too, but these minimum-wage when Scott cut the white ribbon and employees suffered carpal tunnel from invited everyone inside … repetitious motion. Others reported Scott’s plant workers were a closesexual assault by their superiors. They knit bunch. One group of women were discouraged from unionizing. called themselves “the Dependables.” Women were forced to share communal ... The Dependables worked long hours bathrooms with the men, using stalls to keep the plant operating. They lived that had no doors. Shift managers nearby and worked any and all shifts, strictly enforced bathroom break in snow and storm, amid mud and allocations of as little as five minutes guts. They were tough. Scott’s grandson a week. Some of these workers opted Daniel, a teenager when the plant to wear diapers to avoid the added opened, called them “mannish ladies.” humiliation of wetting their pants. The They did everything the men could do, Dependables came from the same area One group of women called themselves “the Dependables.” They did and more. “We packed fish—30-pound and got gas at the same corner store everything the men could do, and more. “We packed fish—30-pound boxes—and we throwed them boxes just like a man.” boxes—and we throwed them boxes as the workers from other plants. The just like a man,” worker Eva Brooks difference was the particular character recalled. “Those men taking their time, we chucked it like it was of their boss man—their general … He treated his coworkers with nothing.” dignity and respect, and it paid dividends. When he was away, the READLEGENDS.COM •

Dependables took charge. It was as civil rights leader Ella Baker said to young members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in the mid-1960s as they left for Mississippi to register black Deltans to vote: “Go and tell the people on the plantations that they don’t have to wait on the elite. They don’t have to wait on Roy Wilkins. They don’t have to wait on James Farmer. They have people among them who are capable of being leaders.” Scott’s farm grew leaders. In addition to working the line, answering the phones, and wading in the water, the Dependables cared for their families. They ran home between shifts to cook dinner, help with homework, and draw baths before coming back to the plant to pick up right where they left off. Essie Watson-Maggitt even went into labor at the skinning table. Her water broke mid-fish. She calmly took herself home, drew a bath and soaked, and drove to the hospital, where she gave birth to boy. In a few more tellings, that episode will have become a bit of Delta lore. She will give birth to her son at the skinning table and baptize him in pond water, all the while pulling guts and chopping heads, never breaking her rhythm. L

University of Georgia Press | Summer 2018 Southern Foodways Alliance Studies in Culture, People, and Place series Learn more at catfishdream.com

Essie Watson-Maggitt even went into labor at the skinning table. Her water broke mid-fish. She calmly took herself home, drew a bath and soaked, and drove to the hospital, where she gave birth to boy. In a few more tellings, that episode will have become a bit of Delta lore.

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Go to heaven for the climate, Greenville for the festivals. Leo “Bud” Welch performs on yearly occasions at the Mighty Mississippi Music Festival’s Main Stage and Highway 61 Blues Stage.

41ST ANNUAL DELTA BLUES & HERITAGE FESTIVAL September 15 • Greenville • deltabluesms.org Oldest-running blues festival in the country 8TH ANNUAL SAM CHATMON BLUES FESTIVAL September 21-22 • Hollandale facebook.com/SamChatmonBlues Bikes, barbecue, and the blues in home of Sam Chatmon 6TH ANNUAL MIGHTY MISSISSIPPI MUSIC FESTIVAL October 11-13 • Greenville • mightymsmusic.com Live music festival held on the banks of the Mississippi River in Warfield Point Park featuring the Highway 61 Blues Stage, which is now in its 19th year

bridgingtheblues.com

7TH ANNUAL DELTA HOT TAMALE FESTIVAL October 18-20 • Greenville facebook.com/DeltaHotTamaleFestival Celebrates the Hot and Soul of the Delta with local and regional artists, musicians, and tamale makers, as well as some of the South’s most influential chefs and writers 8TH ANNUAL“JIM HENSON” FROG FEST & CHILI COOKOFF September 29 • Leland • lelandchamber.com Features professional story-tellers, magicians, live music, Delta cuisine and live puppet performances

Convention & Visitors Bureau

visitgreenville.org • (800) 467.3582 READLEGENDS.COM •

STORY FROM VICKSBURG, MISS.

A New Dig on the Block

Vicksburg's Cottonwood Public House By MEGHAN HOLMES Photography by MICHAEL BARRETT

arlier this year, the Cottonwood Public House opened in downtown Vicksburg overlooking the Mississippi River. The space is a brewery, bar, and restaurant, serving pizza, small plates, craft cocktails, and locally produced beer (some made in-house and some from other regional brewers). With high ceilings and exposed brickwork along interior walls, Cottonwood feels relaxed and open, but also intimate when lights dim and live music starts in the evening. Manager Jon Weimords and head brewer Zack Erickson both grew up in California and met working at the restaurant Idle Hour in north Los Angeles. Weimords had done restaurant consulting work in Vicksburg and jumped when offered the chance to develop and manage the newest restaurant in Vicksburg. “Tim Cantwell, who owns the building, told me he wanted to do something casual in the space and I came

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and looked and said, ‘I’m sold.’ I moved here in June 2017 and we started taking hammers to the walls and ripping up flooring,” Weimords says. Part of the building’s redesign included the installation of tanks and equipment for Erickson’s brewing operation. “Having these vessels in view from the windows generates a lot of curiosity,” he says. “It’s taken some getting used to, brewing this close to a busy street and always having people interact with me. People have been really receptive to our beers, and I’ve been blown away by the quality of what’s being brewed here and the passion people have.” Erickson started brewing at home and is active in the Vicksburg area brewer’s guild, which sometimes meets at Cottonwood. A former video game programmer, he left that job and started working in the service industry and training

Currently popular are the Gold Digger, featuring Mississippi -produced Cathead Pecan Vodka, Bénédictine, honey, orange, and bitters, and the Shakedown Street, with Four Roses bourbon, Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur, muddled strawberries, lemon, and honey.

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Patrons enjoy the open air sidewalk seating at Cottonwood Public House. Chris Guy removes gourmet pizza from oven. Pizzas on the menu include familiar favorites like pepperoni and margherita, with a sweet tomato sauce and fresh buffalo mozzarella. Tanks are constantly brewing. The restaurant sold their first batch in six days.

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at the University of California at San Diego in a brewing extension program. “In San Diego county there are more than 150 breweries; it’s a mature market. I look at Vicksburg as a place where I can have freedom and creativity, coming up with recipes and introducing people to new styles,” he says. Functioning in part as a brew pub, Cottonwood sells their beer in house and also offers other craft beers on guest taps. They also collaborate with other breweries and feature joint creations. There is a full cocktail menu with classic options like Sazeracs and Pimm’s Cups, as well as a rotating selection of craft drinks designed by Weimords. Currently popular are the Gold Digger, featuring Mississippi-produced Cathead Pecan Vodka, Bénédictine, honey, orange, and bitters, and the Shakedown Street, with Four Roses bourbon, Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur, muddled strawberries, lemon, and honey. In developing the food menu, Weimords collaborated with head chef and Vicksburg native Blake Parmegiani, a third generation cook whose father also helms a restaurant in the same building – 10 South, and one across the street – Roca. His grandfather, Jacques Parmegiani, ran Jacques’ Cafe in Vicksburg for more than 25 years. “This menu is Blake’s baby and he gets all the credit,” Weimords says. “He’s only 21, so he’s really young, but he’s third generation so he knows what he’s doing, and his dad is around and has always been helpful.” Parmegiani and the rest of the kitchen staff’s talents are on full display as they prep and bake pizzas in an open area behind a long, wooden bar wrapping around the pizza oven and food window, with rows of liquor bottles and a series of taps. This design is intentional, allowing guests to see the attention given to each menu item. Pizzas on the menu include familiar favorites like pepperoni and margherita, with a sweet tomato sauce and fresh buffalo mozzarella. There’s also a Cuban with marinated pork shoulder, shaved ham, pickled red onion, mustard, Swiss, and dressed arugula, and an option featuring wilted spinach, house made ricotta, fried chicken skin, and egg. The pizza dough also functions as the crust of a chicken pot pie served in a hot cast iron skillet. Other small plates include a beet hummus with chickpeas and pickles (both fried), and Cottonwood’s poutine, with homemade fries, pulled pork, white cheddar cheese, and pork gravy. For dessert, there are rotating ice cream options and chocolate crepe cake. “The idea is to be approachable but also be creative and introduce people to new things,” Weimords says. “Right now, since we’re pretty new, I’m being tame and figuring out what people like. The menu will probably become more intricate.” Both Weimords and Erickson have been overwhelmed by the community response since Cottonwood’s opening. “Overwhelmed

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in the best way possible,” Erickson says. “We’ve been having a hard time keeping beer on tap, and we sold out of our first batch of beer in six days. We’ve seen an outpouring of support from other people in the brewing industry, too. If I have a problem they are there. Like I needed some yeast, and I called Lucas (Simmons) at Lucky Town in Jackson and he gave us exactly what we needed.” Thursday through Saturday nights, Cottonwood hosts live musical performances. Musicians set up in an intimate corner past the edge of the bar and pizza setup. This part of the space feels like a music club, while the area closer to large windows with views of

downtown feels more like a restaurant. There are also the large metal tanks behind rows of tables, full of fermenting beer that will soon be on tap. It’s a lot to take in, but the vibe isn’t overwhelming. “You don’t really find old buildings like this in California,” Erickson says. “Being here in Vicksburg, and learning about the architecture and the history and being downtown in a space like this is really cool and a new experience for me. This town is gorgeous, and it’s been amazing to do something like this where people are wanting and needing this place. I get to see people light up.” L

Want to go? Cottonwood Public House is open Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. For more information, visit their website at cottonwoodpub.com or call (601) 501-7712.

Reverend Robert and Washboard Shorty play for the crowd. Thursday through Saturday nights, Cottonwood hosts live musical performances. Musicians set up in an intimate corner past the edge of the bar and pizza setup.

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STORY FROM VICKSBURG, MISS.

In History's Faded

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Footsteps

Vicksburg Heritage Walking Trails By MEGHAN HOLMES Photography by MICHAEL BARRETT

icksburg, Mississippi, with its staggering bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River, has a well-deserved position of prominence in Civil War history and tourism, with thousands visiting the city’s national parks and monuments each year. So popular is the city with history buffs that they recently developed a self-guided walking tour allowing visitors and locals to learn about less-publicized elements of Vicksburg’s history. Five distinct trail routes – known as the Vicksburg Heritage Walking Trails – wind throughout downtown and the historic district with 35 markers at points along the way, each one explaining a piece of the city’s history between the 19th and the 20th century. “It was just unveiled in December 2017, so it’s very new,” says Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau Deputy Director Laura Beth Strickland. “A lot of people come to Vicksburg to explore our Civil War history, which is great, but we are also excited about another way for people to learn about our city, and to spend more time downtown.” The trails begin on Washington Street overlooking the Old Depot Museum. A steep decline away from the museum leads to the Mississippi River, where it passes alongside levee murals describing the city’s history. Along the riverfront, where the steamboat Natchez waits for exploring visitors to reboard, a marker describes Vicksburg’s famed catfish row. The area, once home to wharves where workers loaded and unloaded cargo to and from the river, now serves as an art park and playground. The trails also have a strong architectural focus, with historic homes, churches, and government buildings marked along the route. “We have really diverse architectural influences here in Vicksburg, and looking at what was built after the war and how the city came back really tells a story,” says Morgan Gates, a tour guide who helped write content for the markers. “I’m partial to the Old Courthouse Building, which I call the Eiffel Tower of Vicksburg. It’s an iconic symbol of the city.”

When the new City Hall was built in 1903 the contractor didn’t get his last payment fast enough and he locked the doors and windows before he left town. The police department had to cut the locks before they could use the building for the first time. READLEGENDS.COM •

Markers also explore how Vicksburg grew and recovered after the civil war, mentioning the establishment of sharecropping and the building of banks and a new city hall building downtown. The markers aren’t meant to completely encapsulate the city’s history but rather to entice visitors with interesting snippets of history and allow them to learn more on their own. “I’ve been a guide for a long time so I’m pretty well versed in the city’s history, and I was still surprised by some of the things I found creating the markers,” says licensed National Parks Service guide David Maggio. “Vicksburg’s city hall used to be in the second floor of a store. When they built the new one in 1903 the contractor somehow didn’t get his last payment fast enough and he locked all the doors and windows to the building before he left town. So, the police department had to come cut all the locks off before they could use the building for the first time. We didn’t put that on the marker, but I enjoyed learning about it,”he says, laughing.

We have really diverse architectural influences here in Vicksburg, and looking at what was built after the war and how the city came back really tells a story. – Morgan Gates

Another marker pays homage to one of the city’s more devastating historical moments – a 1953 tornado that killed 38 people, including many children. “It was a terrible tragedy. The tornado happened when a new Disney movie had just come out and families were watching it downtown. The tornado ended up coming through town and destroying The Strand Theater, where the movie was playing. It was just happenstance,” Maggio says. The Vicksburg CVB helped implement the project, which began more than four years ago when Mayor George Flaggs appointed a committee to research economic development through tourism downtown. The group eventually recommended the trails, and grants from the City of Vicksburg and the National Parks Service’s Lower Mississippi Delta Initiative funded the project. “Sometime last year I got a call from Tim McCarley, who said CLOCKWISE: Visitors enjoy Vicksburg's architectural details, like this column on the Old Courthouse Museum and the Civil War cannon on the front lawn; along the riverfront, a marker describes Vicksburg’s famed catfish row, an area once home to wharves where workers loaded and unloaded cargo. OPPOSITE: A mural along the river depicts Vicksburg's history; Christ Episcopal Church; barge traffic at sunset on the Mississippi River.

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OPPOSITE: A monument outside Christ Episcopal Church; 12-year-old Donovan Blue-Coleman enjoys the art park along the riverfront; the home of Judge Upton Young constructed in 1872; iron work at the Duff Green Mansion. ABOVE: One of Vicksburg's many historic homes along Cherry Street.

they wanted to do a walking tour,” says Maggio, who researched the markers along with several other historians. “He and his boss, Victor Grey-Lewis (Vicksburg community development director), already had a list of 37 places that were potential marker sites, and they knew the routes they wanted the trails to take.” The Vicksburg National Military Park, Vicksburg Main Street, Old Court House Museum, Gordon Cotton, and the VicksburgWarren County Chamber of Commerce Community Fund also contributed to the project. “A lot of people put a lot of input into this project,” says Gates. “David and I helped build a lot of the narrative around the sites, but it was Tim (McCarley) who took our ideas and writings and turned it into reality.” A farmer’s market is planned for the Depot museum area, Gates says. “So, it’s going to be a bustling area and a great spot to begin the trail. The hardest part about making these markers was not being

overly wordy, because I do ghost tours, and I like to spice things up. We had to do a lot of pruning so things would fit, but I also learned a lot through that process.” The trail markers deliver dozens of interesting historical accounts, intended to give people “a good feeling for the city of Vicksburg,” Maggio says. Organizers hope this history will keep people downtown and lead them to other sights in Vicksburg, dining, and entertainment. “We have great restaurants and great food, and the downtown is growing more and more,” Gates says. “We hope people come and explore the trails and then stay a day or two and see what else Vicksburg has to offer.” L

Want to go? For more information, visit visitvicksburg.com. READLEGENDS.COM •

g n i v a S

Hom e

STORY FROM MERIDIAN, MISS.

The indelible legacy of the actress and the entrepreneur By MEGHAN HOLMES Photography by MARIANNE TODD

or 26 years, Sela Ward and her husband Howard Sherman have come home to their country farm in Meridian. One Christmas in 1998, they decided to bring presents to The Peavey House, an emergency homeless shelter for children. While moved by the all the children’s stories, meeting two brothers and hearing of their history had an intense impact on Howard and Sela, who were raising two young children at the time. And while they may not have known it in that moment, the parents of Austin and Anabella had found a calling that would alter and inspire the rest of their lives. “Their names were Jimmy and Michael, and they were 10 and 12,” Ward says. “Their parents’ rights had been terminated and their two other siblings were in different shelters across the state.

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There was no facility that could keep the kids together, and they were going to be separated even though all they had left in the world was each other. I’m one of four kids … the thought of ever being separated from them … I wouldn’t survive it. I was so upset, my heart burst open … I wanted to adopt these kids.” For Ward, a Golden Globe and two-time Emmy winner who starred on Sisters and Once & Again and such films as The Fugitive and Gone Girl and Sherman, a businessman and entrepreneur currently running for the United States Senate, working a 16-hour day with 4-year-old Austin and 6-month-old Anabella wasn't an option. He heard the problem and suggested a solution: create a housing facility that was mandated to keep siblings together.

At home in Meridian, Sela Ward's and Howard Shermanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s community involvement reaches far beyond Hope Village for Children, each of them participating in various local projects, such as the the recently-opened Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience. Ward is a Golden Globe and two-time Emmy winner who starred on Sisters and Once & Again and such films as The Fugitive and Gone Girl. Sherman is a businessman and entrepreneur currently running for a seat in the United States Senate. READLEGENDS.COM â&#x20AC;˘

“That’s how Hope Village was born,” Ward says. “We organized as a nonprofit with a board of directors and started seeking funding and property.” Hope Village opened in 2000 on 30 acres in the heart of Meridian at the former site of the Masonic Home for Children. Ward and Sherman, along with other local community leaders, raised more than $1 million to purchase the property. “I did a training video for Kentucky Fried Chicken, a ribbon-cutting at Target and speaking engagements for anyone willing to donate to our cause … I just did whatever I had to do,” Ward says. “And she’s still doing it,” Sherman says. “Last week she went to Birmingham to speak at the Red Elephant Club to raise money for more cottages. She’s a brutal negotiator when she’s raising money for Hope Village.” In the 18 years since its opening, Hope Village has served more than 3,000 children from across the state and employed hundreds of people. The organization provides mental health care and educational services to children living in different homes on the same campus, minimizing the trauma associated with movement and separation from loved ones. “In the past this wasn’t done, and people said it couldn’t be done,” says Hope Village Executive Director Tina Aycock. “They said boys and girls on the same campus would not work. We wanted these kids to stay connected to the family that they had left. Our overall

mission really is to stop the movement of children.” Meridian has not been the only recipient of Ward's and Sherman's generosity. Following Katrina, the actress and her husband went to Oxford to be part of Mississippi Rising, an event to raise money for hurricane victims. Back home, Ward's and Sherman’s community involvement reaches far beyond Hope Village, each of them participating in various local projects, such as the the recently-opened Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience (She was honorary chair of the board that began more than a decade ago and, along with former Meridian Mayor John Robert Smith, helped Meridian win the location as the coveted MAEEX site.), the renovation of the Meridian Opera House, and the purchase of Weidmann’s when the long-time owners retired and the oldest restaurant in Mississippi faced extinction. “It had been family-owned for generations, and we didn’t want to see it go to a restaurant group and be turned into something nameless,” Ward says. “My goal was to preserve it. So, we got 60 families together and everyone invested $25,000 to purchase the building’.” The couple also went to Washington, D.C. on four different occasions where Ward lobbied to secure funds to restore Meridian's opera house, and they both argued for policy changes and funding that would be necessary for Hope Village to thrive. “All these things have a domino effect, and good begets

When they married 26 years ago, Ward brought Sherman to Meridian and took him to a hill just outside of town. “What are we looking at?” he asked. “Our future home,” she said.

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ABOVE: Sherman announced his candidacy for United States Senate as a democrat earlier this year. Here, he and Sela are pictured at a campaign rally in their hometown of Meridian. His platform focuses on improving the state’s economic outlook through investments like medical technology and value added manufacturing. Instead of waiting for industry to save the state, Sherman suggests Mississippi create its own, and he has specific plans on how to do that. RIGHT: Pictured on their Meridian farm they build 26 years ago.

good,” Sherman says. “If a restaurant closes in a major metropolitan city, it isn’t that big of a deal, but if Weidmann’s closes, you lose a central downtown gathering place. That’s really important in a closeknit communities like Meridian.” Ward and Sherman spent half their time on the West Coast, where Sherman worked as an entrepreneur, starting more than 20 successful companies, while Ward built a career as an award-winning television and film actress. Most recently, she was filming in New Mexico, shooting two seasons of the Epix series Graves with Nick Nolte, which finished airing in late 2017. When they married 26 years ago, Ward brought Sherman to Meridian and took him to a hill just outside of town. “What are we looking at?” he asked. “Our future home,” she said. The couple moved to Meridian permanently in 2016, making it easier for the day to day hands-on oversite of Hope Village and their ever-evolving dream projects. “Sela's decided the place needs a little love, so now she’s off raising money for that,” Aycock says. “She wants things to be aesthetically pleasing for the kids. Children determine their worth based on the things they see around them. They want to

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feel valued, and this is their home.” The project has not been without its travails. In 2016, state legislators separated Child Protective Services from the Department of Human Services, leading to a $40 million disruption in a federal matching program that funded a significant portion of childrens' homes and mental health services. Emergency legislative measures were needed to return CPS to DHS’s umbrella and restore funding. When Sherman heard about the loss of funding, he said he felt he had no choice but to act. “That put me over the edge,” he says. “I had to run for office. I had a woman call me this morning and say she’s been separated from her son, and she can’t get in touch with her CPS case worker because they’re too busy to return peoples’ calls. That’s largely a result of this budgetary shortfall, because our legislators weren’t paying attention.” Sherman announced his candidacy for United States Senate as a democrat earlier this year. His platform focuses on improving the state’s economic outlook through investments like medical technology and value added manufacturing. Instead of waiting for industry to save the state, Sherman suggests Mississippi create its

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own, and he has specific plans on how to do that. Sherman also values the importance of state tourism and bringing the film industry back to Mississippi after incentives to make movies were cut earlier this year. He also has set his focus on childrens' education and health care to improve the state’s workforce and the well being of communities. “A small part of me thinks we're crazy,” Ward says. “But, I really do believe that the more you’re given, the more you have to give back. Howard and I both believe that. This is where I came from and where we’ll be until we die, so this is where we want to contribute what we’ve learned.” In May, Sherman and Ward attended the opening of the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience in downtown Meridian. The space highlights the many contributions of Mississippi’s artists around the world, something the couple sees as somewhat ironic given the state’s persistently low national rankings in terms of economic and quality of life prospects. “So much artistic brilliance was born here; Eudora Welty, Oprah Winfrey, Morgan Freeman, Jim Henson, Elvis, B.B. King, my wife, the list goes on and on ... probably more artistic genius per capita than any other state, and then we’re No. 50 in everything else that matters,” Sherman says. “That’s something I find unacceptable.” As Sherman prepares for his senate run, Ward, who will be at his side as an advocate for Mississippi, also continues to raise money for improvements to Hope Village. “I wish everybody could have a Howard and Sela,” Aycock says. “I just feel so blessed that they’ve decided to make helping children part of their mission in life and that they fight so hard for the rights of these kids.” L

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STORY FROM WHYNOT, MISS.

Twin Engines

Whynot's Spencer and Ellie Hughes By JULIAN RANKIN Photography by MARIANNE TODD

n the driver’s seat, the whole world rumbles. A stampede of engines roar around turns and rattle the earth; torquechurning dirt and deafening horsepower. Two dozen heavymetal beasts charge full-bore, battling for position lap after lap, onward to the checkered. The dirt-track drivers are locked in, surrounded in anonymity by helmets and safety gear and roll cages and, when the race features the 2,000-pound super late models, a combined 20,000 horsepower. Among these drivers, jockeys pushing their steeds forward, mortals amidst the machines, are fearless 17-year-old twins, Spencer and Ellie Hughes. They’ve been racing since they were six and eight years old – and they're having the time of their lives. “Their dad, Johnny, raced when we met,” said Jennifer Hughes, the twins’ mother. “I was pregnant with them, still going to the track. They were practically born at a dirt track.” When they were small, Spencer and Ellie raced battery-fueled power wheels. When Spencer was six, Johnny took him to watch go-karts race. The next weekend, Johnny bought a used go-kart. A week after that, Spencer was behind the wheel. He had never been on the track before, but within three laps, he had found his line. READLEGENDS.COM •

“Having a line in racing is like knowing the best path to take on a track,” Jennifer says. “Knowing the fastest path. And the owner of the track was there. And he just looked at us. And he was like, ‘Are you sure this kid hasn’t been in one before?’” It has been a steep learning curve for Spencer and Ellie since graduating to stock cars. Both have emerged victorious on the track, including Spencer’s 2016 NeSmith Street Stock National Championship as a 15-year-old. It’s irresistible to ask them the questions: “What’s it like racing against and beating grown men?” Or for Ellie, “How does it feel to be a female driver finding a line in a male-dominated sport?” But then again, when the engines rev and the race is on, their age doesn’t show. “It doesn’t really matter whether you’re racing against Dale Earnhardt or someone else,” Spencer says. “They’re just another race car driver. You just try to do the best you can to beat them.” “I show up and race like everybody else,” adds Ellie.

In a race, the object is to leave folks behind. Turns out, in dirt track racing, everybody sticks together. The Hughes’ home track is Whynot Motorsports Park in Meridian, Mississippi. Rodney Wing, a race car driver with a pitchperfect race car driver’s name, owns the Park and works tirelessly to promote and showcase the sport there. In 2005, he purchased the historic speedway, overgrown with brush and nearly forgotten, and rescued it from inconsequence. The ⅜ mile, 80-foot wide banked clay track is just the right right size for speed and excitement. “It really puts on a good race,” Wing told a reporter from the Clarke County Hot Topics as he slowly drove the loop one race day. “It’s got enough of the goody for the guys who like to really go fast, and then it’s … small enough to have enough action to scratch that itch as well.” Jennifer Hughes likes to joke that this whole thing is Rodney Wing’s fault. When Spencer was 13, Wing phoned Johnny Hughes one evening. “I’ve got this factory stock sitting over here and I’ve heard Spencer is pretty good at that go-karting thing,” Jennifer recalls Wing saying. “If he wants to come over and help work on it he can drive it. He can give it a shot.” That’s what started it.

TOP TO BOTTOM: Racing on the dirt track is a family affair with entire families turning out to support drivers. Visitors can expect mud to fly as cars round the turn. Spencer replaces a tire in the pit; a young boy checks out the evening's racing line-up.

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Ellie Hughes sits in her 602 Sportsman NeSmith Crate Late Model sponsored by BJ’s Tire and Service Center. The 17-year-old started racing go-karts at 6, and was so good at finding a line she advanced to racing on the dirt track.

Race fans will know the difference between a NeSmith Street Stock car, an Open Wheel Modified, and a Super Late Model. They have different parts, different rules, and their own character. But all you really need to know is that between Spencer, Ellie, and their father Johnny, the Hughes racers might drive a dozen different cars in a given year, tearing up the track on any given weekend.

“There was a heat race I was pretty fond of,” begins Ellie. She was racing against a field that included the son of the tech man (the tech man is the official tasked with making sure all equipment and racers adhere to the rules). The tech man’s son “doesn’t like getting outrun,” says Ellie. “And I passed him right there on the last lap on the outside … That’s probably my favorite one.”

The family owns Spencer’s #11 HughesYourDaddy NeSmith Street Stock car and Ellie’s 602 Sportsman NeSmith Crate Late Model, both of which are sponsored by BJ’s Tire and Service Center. The Open Wheel Modified Spencer drives is owned by Gregg Hollingsworth with 100 Service Center. Spencer also drives the #10 Henderson Motorsports Super Late Model, sponsored by L&D Trucking (the Super Late Models are the cars with upwards of 800 horsepower, or the equivalent of two Corvette engines). Anyone with a few years under their belt knows that teenage memories never fade, and Spencer and Ellie plan to etch every race into their minds. But there are a few races that will always stand out.

Spencer recalls the 3rd Annual Fall 40 Street Stock Championship at Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus in September 2017. He bested a field of talented drivers, including his former boss. “I worked for Mike Bolden for about two years,” says Spencer. “He’s considered one of the best from the state - he’s won about 800 races, they say.” Spencer started ninth and quickly made a move up to third, behind Bolden and another racing mentor, Justin McRee. “Justin and Mike swapped the lead a time or two,” continues Spencer. “I ended up getting by them around lap ten or so and led until right there before the checkered.” Nearing the end of the 40-lap race, McRee passed Spencer in lap traffic. Spencer pushed. He recalled one of his favorite dirt READLEGENDS.COM •

Parker McWhirter, a street stock driver from Meridian, stands as the National Anthem is played before racing begins.

track adages: to be the best, you have to beat the best. With three laps to go, Spencer took the lead and the $5,000 purse. McRee and Bolden - running second and third - joined Spencer on the podium. “To outrun two of them,” Spencer says, “was definitely one of my proudest moments.” Dirt track racing is community commitment. Wing has mustered every entrepreneurial muscle to turn the track into a success story. There are bills to pay like every business, and prize money for the winners, but no one does it if they don’t love being part of the racing family. “It’s the same atmosphere as like a high school football game,” says Wing. “It’s really family friendly. We have church groups that come out here. We have all types of fan interactions with the kids.” Spencer and Ellie are part of a racing lineage, but they also see their fans, fellow drivers, and crew members as extended kin. Racing has matured them; it’s easy to forget they’re only 17. The track, and the people there, have helped raise them. Life lessons

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include: Find your line. Use your head. Don’t get crazy. Keep your nose clean. They don’t pay nothing for the first 20 laps. It’s not worth it to tear half the car off going from fifth to fourth if you’re running three nights straight. Be patient. Give and take. Get along with people. Work hard. Jennifer and Johnny are proud of the people Spencer and Ellie have become. When the kids were little, they chose racing over tee-ball, and the family has been all-in ever since. Johnny shares everything he knows. Jennifer documents races from the stands and hashtags them with #familythatracestogetherstaystogether. In a race, the object is to leave folks behind. Turns out, in dirt track racing, everybody sticks together. L

Want to go? Located at 4680 Old Highway 19 SE, Meridian, visit whynotmotorsportspark.com for lists of races and events.

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STORY FROM HATTIESBURG, MISS.

Festival S uthhts Highlig

Hattiesburg's yearly music event!

his multi-week, multi-genre favorite Mississippi festival returns this month featuring country music legend Mac McAnally, and this year's slated music and film festival performances will not disappoint. Families will enjoy the tale of 1001 Arabian Nights and Scheherazade, featuring the FestivalSouth Orchestral Academy. Cinema takes center stage at the FestivalSouth Film Expo that expands to encompass the entire second week, June 17–23. In addition to independent films from around the globe competing for this year’s top prize, movie-goers will enjoy special screenings and presentations by Mississippi writers and their Hollywood film adaptations. The FestivalFinale celebrates the film theme with “The Reel Big Movie Concert” that showcases the great movie music of the silver screen. Events for the family include music, art, theater, dance, and food throughout the month of June. For more information, visit festivalsouth.org. READLEGENDS.COM •

JUNE 9 • 7:30 P.M. Nine-time Country Music Association’s Musician-of-the-Year, Mac McAnally returns to perform music from Southbound, his latest CD release featuring the FestivalSouth Orchestra. The symphonic experience will also raise money for Extra Table to provide meals for those in need. Mannoni Performing Arts Center Auditorium. Adults $30; children $5.

JUNE 10 • 3 P.M. From the chamber musicians who brought you Baroque to the Future and Bach to the Burg, join FestivalSouth for music inspired by great Impressionists Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel with Timeless Impressions featuring Rachel Taratoot Ciraldo, flute; Stephanie Gustafson Amfahr, harp; Christopher Lowry, viola; Ken Graves, clarinet; and the FestivalString Quartet. Includes a world premiere by violist and composer Christopher Lowry. Inspiration for this Sunday afternoon outing highlights the colors of the harp, flute, clarinet, and string family Main St. United Methodist Church. Adults $15; children $5.

JUNE 11 • 3 P.M. Enjoy an afternoon of music for eight guitars by the prize-winning Mexican guitar ensemble Octeto Sicarú with guest artist guitarist Nicholas Ciraldo. Hattiesburg Cultural Center. Adults $10; children $5.

JUNE 1 • 7:30 P.M. Harlem String Quartet The Grammy Award-winning Harlem Quartet advances diversity in classical music, engaging new audiences around the world. From a 2009 performance at The White House to a highly successful tour of South Africa in 2012, and numerous venues in between, they bring their talent to FestivalSouth for a special program including music from Debussy and Bolcom to Dizzy Gillespie and Guido Lopez Gavilán. First Presbyterian Church; Adults $20; children $5.

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JUNE 13 • 10 A.M. Learn about the harp, its history, and how it works. Watch a harp demo by professional harpist Stephanie Gustafson Amfahr and make your own stringed instrument. Amfahr, a harpist based in Houston, Texas, works as a Young Artist Fellow with Da Camera of a Houston as part of a program that brings music to underserved communities throughout Houston. She has played with professional orchestras in Santiago, Chile and Gothenburg, Sweden and is currently Principal Harpist with the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra. She also works for the publication Harp Column and performs with orchestras, opera, and ballet companies from El Paso to New Orleans. Library of Hattiesburg. Free.

JUNE 14 • 7:30 P.M. The Truth About Love … and the Usual Lies featuring Jessica Medoff, soprano and Michael Bunchman, piano. A musical journey through the ups and downs of love that features songs from Avenue Q, Kurt Weill's Street Scene, songs by William Bolcom, classics from the American popular repertoire and more, enjoy a musical journey about love in all its quirky variations. Front Street Bar. Adults $20; children $5.

JUNE 15 • 7:30 P.M. LOL Cabaret: Netflix and Chill featuring The Hub City Players. Enjoy a hysterical musical evening as The Hub City Players return with their smash hit revue – this year, lampooning TV, movies and more. Brewskys. Adults $20 (21+ only).

JUNE 16 • 7:30 P.M. The Dog Days 5k run and 2-mile walk is an event benefitting Hub City Service Dogs, a nonprofit organization in Hattiesburg that trains service dogs for people with medical disabilities. There will be door prizes, breakfast, a Run-by Dog pageant, and awards for runners/walkers with and without dogs. Dogs must be up-to-date on vaccinations and on a fixed leash. Registration includes a race shirt. Starting at Kamper Park. Registration is $25 online at festivalsouth.org. READLEGENDS.COM •

JUNE 16 • 4 P.M. The FestivalSouth Orchestral Academy performs one of the most colorful and descriptive scores in all of classical music, 1001 Arabian Nights. The Sultan Schariar, convinced that all women are false and faithless, vows to put to death each of his wives after the first nuptial night. But Scheherazade saves her life by entertaining him with fascinating tales for a thousand and one nights. The Sultan, consumed with curiosity, postponed from day to day the execution of his wife and finally ended his killing spree. USM Bennett Auditorium. Adults $15; children $5.

JUNE 16 • 6 P.M. The Hattiesburg Craft Beer Festival hosts breweries from around the nation where guests can sample more than 100 craft beers, meet the people behind the beer, enjoy live music, food, and celebrate the craft beer industry and its rapid growth in Mississippi. Purchase tickets online in advance to ensure you get a spot at this packed-out event. VIP tickets will not be sold on-site at the festival. Town Square Park. Ticketed (various prices). 21 and over only. www.festivalsouth.org.

JUNE 17 • 3 P.M. A Salute to Fathers with the Victory Belles, a USO-style concert featuring a mini-museum, free food and drinks, and dancing. This event raises funds, awareness, care, and support and research for Alzheimer's patients. Guests are invited to dress in military and period clothing to celebrate veterans. The Victory Belles are a vocal trio performing the music of the 1940s, serenading audiences at The National WWII Museum and across the globe. Their repertoire includes the treasured gems of the WWII era plus patriotic classics including a musical salute to each branch of the US armed forces. The Claiborne. Adults $20; children $5.

Want to go? TICKETS for all shows: festivalsouth.org, (800) 844.TICK or phone 601.266.5418. 42 •

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ABBEVILLE, LA. Jun 16, Jul 14 … Abbeville Farmers’ & Artisans’ Market in Magdalen Square. An open air market featuring seasonal produce, eggs, preserves, and homemade items on sale from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information, visit mostcajun.com or call (337) 6526148. CLARKSDALE, MISS. Jun 1-2 … Delta Jubilee at the Coahoma Expo Center. A family fun festival of music and events. Participate in one of many competitions from Corn Hole to Volleyball. Arts & Crafts, food, and a carnival. For more information, visit clarksdale-ms.com or call (662) 627-7337. Jun 1-2 … Goat Fest V at the Shack Up Inn and the New Roxy Theater. Come join Goat Fest for a fifth year of outstanding heavy blues and roots music at the crossroads. Featuring 9 bands in more than two venues, including the Cedric Burnside Project, Lightnin’ Malcolm, and Chili Cold Blood, among others. Get a weekend wristband for $45 or pay $15 at the door for each show. For more information, visit shakupinn.com or call (662) 624-8329. ERATH, LA. Jun 30 - Jul 4 … Erath 4th of July Celebration at the Fair. Come see multiple musical acts over the 5-day celebration. Featuring a parade at 5 p.m. on the 4th of July followed by a Giant Fireworks Display at 9 p.m. For more information, visit erath4.com or call (337) 937-5585. GREENVILLE, MISS. Jun 2 … 5th Annual Warfield Riverfest at the Washington Co. Convention Center. Along with traditional festival foods, the day will be full of arts & crafts, a petting zoo, a 16-man mobile vehicle unit, a remote controlled car racing demonstration, and a BBQ contest. Gates open at 9:30 a.m. For more information, visit warfieldriverfest.com or call (662) 335-3371. JACKSON, MISS. Jun 10-23 … The USA International Ballet Competition XI at Thalia Mara Hall. The world's best young ballet dancers convene in Jackson for a two-week "Olympic-style" competition. Representing more than 20 nations, the rising dance stars vie for medals, cash prizes, company contracts, apprenticeships and scholarships. Tickets and times vary. For more information, visit usaibc.com or call (601) 973-9249. Jun 23-24 … Mississippi Comic Con at the Mississippi Trade Mart. Come see a diverse list of guests, vendors, artists, and fan groups in an affordable, family friendly environment. Convention runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $20 per day or $30 for a two-day pass. For more information, visit mississippicomiccon.com. LAFAYETTE, LA. Jul 13-15 … Bayou Belly Festival at Hawthorne Hall. A variety of vendors, classes, and performances Friday and Saturday. Event starts at 8 a.m. Friday. Tickets start at $25. For more information, visit trybehabibibizarre.com. MERIDIAN, MISS. Jun 15 … Opening Ceremonies for the MS State Games in downtown Meridian. Come watch the parade of athletes from across Mississippi along with real Mississippi Olympians who have competed all over the world. Watch the Torch Lighting and stay for a fantastic fireworks show. Food and beverage booths open at 5 p.m. Parade begins at 7:30 p.m. and fireworks begin at 8:30 p.m. For more information, visit stategamesofms.org or call (601) 482-0205. Jun 16 … Free live music at Meridian Underground Music. Come see Inclination of Direction and The Moose perform live starting at 8 p.m. For more information, call (601) 485-1363. Jul 17 … Pat Benetar and Neil Giraldo at the MSU Riley Center. Their undeniable chemistry, Benatar’s mezzo-soprano vocal range and Giraldo’s trail blazing work as a producer, guitarist and songwriter continue to wow audiences everywhere. Tickets start at $58 and show begins at 7:30 p.m. For more information, visit msurileycenter.com or call (601) 696-2200. MORGAN CITY, LA. Aug 30 - Sep 3 … The four-day extravaganza of family entertainment includes live music by local and national acts, a huge arts & crafts show and sale, a Children’s Village, the Cajun Culinary Classic, the Blessing of the Fleet and water parade -- all with no gate fee. For more information, visit cajuncoast.com or call (800) 256-2931. NATCHEZ, MISS. Jun 19-23 … Little Discover Week at the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians. Children ages five to six will play Native American games, create small crafts & pottery, participate in nature lessons, and stories. The morning sports camp is $25 and the afternoon crafts camp is $40 and includes all supplies. Children may attend both camp sessions for $60 for the week. For more information or reservations, call (601) 446-6502. READLEGENDS.COM •

NEW ORLEANS, LA. Jul 5-8 … Essence Festival at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Get ready for the best of R&B, hip-hop, jazz, and more. This three-day party named for its founder and sponsoring magazine, combines high-octane music performances with inspirational speakers and provocative conversations about race, gender, culture, and art. Doors open at 6 p.m. each day of the festival. Tickets start at $80 per night. For more information, visit essence.com or call (504) 587-3663. Jul 13-15 … The 12th Annual Running of the Bulls in downtown New Orleans. Each year the Crescent City hosts its own version of Spain’s Encierro de Pamploma. But instead of running from real bulls, New Orleanians gather in the traditional colors of Spain’s bull run and run from New Orleans Roller Derby Girls, who chase runners with plastic bats on their roller blades. Event is free to watch. Participation prices vary. The procession begins at 7:15 a.m. and the run beings at 8 a.m. For more information, visit nolabulls.com. VICKSBURG, MISS. Jun 20, 22 and Jul 20, 22 … McRaven Ghost Hunt at McRaven Tour Home. Join McRaven’s team of trained paranormal investigators and hunt the many ghosts of the McRaven Tour Home! You will have the opportunity to use professional ghost hunting equipment as you try to contact and connect with the many spirits that still haunt the McRaven Home. Many of the equipment items have been seen on TV on your favorite ghost hunting shows! The Ghost Hunt begins with a Haunted Tour of the home and then you will dive into an entire night of ghost hunting. Event starts at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $50 per person. For more information, visit mkcraventourhome.com or call (601) 501-1336. Jul 4 … Blues, Brews, & BBQ at the McNutt House. Bring the family for a fun afternoon leading up to the City's riverfront activities and fireworks display. Featuring a jump house and several cornhole toss stations for the kids. For the older folks there will be plenty of shade and some great live blues music and a special BBQ menu by Goldies Express. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for teens, and kids 12 and under are free. Event runs from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, visit themcnutthouse.com (601) 529-2695. YAZOO CITY, MISS. Jun 11-16 … 46th Annual Bentonia Blues Festival at Holmes Farm just south of Yazoo City. The oldest blues festival in the country continues to go strong with a week of real deal Blues. The festival will take place every evening from Monday to Friday at 6 p.m. at the historic Blue Front Cafe, Mississippi's oldest surviving juke joint. Then Saturday the Festival moves to Jimmy "Duck" Holmes' farm just north of Bentonia for a full day of Blues, drinks and food starting at 1 p.m. Event is free to the public. Parking at Holmes Farm is $10 for the day and $20 overnight. For more information, visit bentoniablues.com.

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