Legends - Dec 2015 / Jan 2016 by Legends Magazine

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where the river is wide and the history runs deep Join us in one of Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oldest cities as we celebrate our 300th anniversary. Experience a wide range of events and festivals showcasing the collaboration of a community honoring our past, celebrating our present and planning for a great future!

visitnatchez.org natchezms300.com (800) 647-6724 #visitnatchez #natchezms300 Photo Credits: Amanda Hargrove/Ken Murphy

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MERRY MERIDIAN MARKET Meridian Main Street Saturday, Nov. 21; 9 am - 4 pm MSU Riley Center

CHRISTMAS PARADE City of Meridian Saturday, Dec. 5; 5 pm Downtown Meridian

TREES OF CHRISTMAS Merrehope Monday, Nov. 23; 9 am - 5 pm Monday-Saturday through Dec. 30

U. S. NAVY BAND CHRISTMAS CONCERT City of Meridian Tuesday, Dec. 8; 7 pm Temple Theater

CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING City Hall Lawn Tuesday, Dec. 1; 5:30 pm SANTA'S CHRISTMAS FACTORY Soule' Steam Works Thursday-Friday-Saturday Dec. 3-19, 4-8 pm PEPPERMINT POPS Meridian Symphony Orchestra Saturday, Dec. 5; 7 pm MSU Riley Center

RENTED CHRISTMAS – THE MUSICAL Meridian Little Theatre Thurs., Fri. & Sat.; Dec. 10, 11, 12; 7:30 pm Sun., Dec. 13; 2:00 pm Mon., Tue., Dec. 14, 15; 7:30 pm HOLIDAY GALA Meridian Museum of Art Saturday, Dec. 12; 6-8 pm MEMBERSHIP EXHIBIT Meridian Museum of Art Saturday, Dec. 12 – Jan. 30 11 am – 5 pm, Wed. – Sat. EAT. SHOP. PLAY. STAY.

For more information, visit www.meridianms.org or www.meridiancommunitycalendar.com.

PUBLISHER AND PRESIDENT ��Marianne Todd CREATIVE DIRECTOR / LEAD DESIGNER �� Shawn T. King GRAPHIC DESIGNER �� Adrienne Dison DIRECTOR OF MARKETING ��Ken Flynt WEBSITE DESIGNER ��Scott Mire Contact LEGENDS 601-604-2963 Marketing - 601-479-3351 | Ken@ReadLegends.com Editorial - 601-604-2963 | Editor@MississippiLegends.com Contributing writers: Riley Manning, Meghan Holmes, Adrienne Dison, Kara Martinez Bachman, Julian Rankin, Stephen Corbett Contributing photographers: Rory Doyle, Joe Worthem, Rusty Costanza, James Patterson, Ben Fink LEGENDS welcomes your calendar submissions. Submissions are posted free of charge on our website at www.ReadLegends.com. Calendar submissions for consideration in LEGENDS’ print calendar may be sent to

CONTENTS DECEMBER / JANUARY 2016

MUSIC 8

Editor@ReadLegends.com. Copyright 2015/2016. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced or reprinted without express permission from the publisher. The opinions and views expressed by our contributors, writers and editors are their own. Various views from other professionals may also be expressed. Neither LEGENDS nor Blue South Publishing Corporation is endorsing or guaranteeing the products or quality of services expressed in advertisements. All advertisers assume liability for all content (including text representation and illustration) of advertisements printed and assume responsibility for any resulting claims against LEGENDS or its affiliates. Materials, photographs and written pieces to be considered for inclusion in LEGENDS may be sent to P.O. Box 3663, Meridian, MS 39303. Unsolicited materials will not be returned. LEGENDS is sold on bookstore shelves in 38 states. Additionally, Blue South Publishing Corporation provides more than 20,000 free copies in its coverage area to tourism offices, welcome centers, hotels, restaurants, theaters, museums, galleries, coffee shops, casinos and institutions of higher learning. If your business, agency or industry would like to be considered as a LEGENDS distribution point, or for a list of retailers,

6 • DECEMBER// JANUARY 2016

The Natchez Festival of Music

A Tricentennial gala of the greats

Cover Story: Natchez 300

Where the River Runs Wild

The Great Mississippi River Balloon Race

That Southern Hospitality

The Art of Natchez

In History’s Faded Footsteps

www.ReadLegends.com

ABOUT OUR COVER In 1716, the French completed construction of a wooden palisade fort high on the bluff overlooking the eastern shore of the Mississippi River. This scene, without the modern-day bridge spanning to Louisiana, would have been their view. From this date, modern Natchez marks its 300th anniversary. Throughout 2016, Natchez will showcase the evolution of this “Jewel of the Mississippi,” in a celebration bringing the city’s past to present.

The Modern Eldorados

CULTURE

please contact us at Editor@MississippiLegends.com. For more information, write to Editor@MississippiLegends.com. More information, including a comprehensive, up-to-date calendar, may be found at

Country Music’s REAL Outlaws

Celebrating the Deepest History on the Mississippi Mississippi’s redneck adventures Scenes from one of Natchez’ most beloved events The authentic experience of a Natchez B&B A journey of historical preservation Riding Mississippi’s Tanglefoot Trail

CULINARY 21

Secrets of the Biscuit Capital

Annadele’s Plantation

Natchez chefs share their secret dough

French Creole on the Bogue Falaya

Photos courtesy of Bill Lang

Family-Friendly Mardi Gras If you’re looking for a tamer version of New Orleans,

you’ll find it just 45 minutes from the French Quarter. St. Tammany Parish, aka “Louisiana’s Northshore,” is full of family-friendly Mardi Gras parades. Our celebrations are quirky, unforgettable, and full of small-town positive energy. Sat., Jan. 23 Krewe of Mona Lisa at 7 p.m. & MoonPie Walking Parade, Slidell Fri., Jan. 29 Krewe of Eve at 7 p.m. Traditional Parade, Mandeville Sat., Jan. 30 Krewe of Push Mow at 11 a.m. Lawn Equipment Parade, Abita Springs

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LOUISIANA S NORTHSHORE 1- 8 0 0 - 6 3 4 -94 4 3

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Sat., Jan. 30 Krewe of Olympia at 6 p.m. Traditional Parade, Covington Sat., Feb. 6 Krewe of Tchefuncte at 1 p.m. Boat Parade, Madisonville Sun., Feb. 14 Mystic Krewe of Mardi Paws at 2 p.m. Pooch Parade, Mandeville

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STORY FROM MOBILE, ALA.

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COUNTRY MUSIC’S REAL OUTLAWS

THEMODERN

ELDORADOS By Stephen Corbett Photography by Marianne Todd

“Today, the most outlaw thing you can possibly do in Nashville is play country music.” – Marty Stuart

arty Stuart’s sentiment extends far beyond the Nashville city limits and to an entire genre of what is now considered country music. By this logic, The Modern Eldorados is on the most-wanted list. Lead by front man and songwriter Gretsch Lyles, The Modern Eldorados invoke both the sound and the visual style of the classic honky tonk music of the 1950s and ‘60s. “I woke up from a dream that was kinda bizarre,” Lyles says of the origin of the name. “The dream centered around conquistadors looking for El Dorado, which means ‘The Golden One’ in Spanish.” El Dorado was the name given to a tribal chief of the Muisca people of Colombia who would cover himself with gold dust. It is especially fitting for the Mobile, Alabama-based band, which dresses in the flashy clothing of country music’s past. “Back in the ‘50s and ‘60s,” Lyles says, “Ray Price, Buck Owens, Porter Wagoner – they all had a look. They had a look that made a strong impression. Their music was great, but in addition, they saw the value of a visual performance. Rock and R&B artists also knew the impact of the visual, but country just took it to a different level. When you pay money to see someone play, that’s just something that people ought to expect.” The band was started in 1996 by Lyles, whose birth name is Tyron. He was so obsessed with Gretsch guitars as a teenager that people starting calling him Gretsch. He had his name legally changed when he was 18 and refers to it as the best $11 he has ever spent. Over the past two decades, The Modern Eldorados has had plenty of time to perfect its look and stage presence. “Every band has a way of doing things. We prefer to get to the venue and do an early load-in before the people start showing up. It creates this great sensory thing when everything is set up and people don’t see you until you walk in at show time,” he says. “That really seals the deal with most people. When people aren’t familiar with READLEGENDS.COM •

Gretsch Lyles and The Modern Eldorados play at Destin, Florida’s, HarborWalk Village during their Brews, Blues & BBQ event. The band is reminiscent of the country bands of the ‘50s and ‘60s.

your music, you have to try harder. But when you walk in with that aphe would make it through,” he says. “He was amazing. He started havpearance, you’ve already won the fight.” ing hits in the early ‘50s and was still having hits 30 years later when he The Modern Eldorados is not an act of style over substance, howdied. That’s tremendous.” ever. As a child in rural Alabama, Lyles was steeped in the music of the While one can hear a bit of Robbins’ vocal styling in Lyles’ singing, legends of country music. He began singing Robbins’ songwriting was equally important. and playing guitar by the age of six and wrote “The band was started in 1996 “I love songs that are visual. That’s what I his first song at 16. gravitated towards when I started writing by Lyles, whose birth name is “A lot of country musicians today are songs,” Lyles says. “Marty’s album, ‘Gunalways talking about Merle Haggard and fighter Ballads and Trail Songs’ was one of Tyron. He was so obsessed George Jones, but you don’t hear it in their my favorites. You could picture everything with Gretsch guitars as a teenmusic. It’s not there,” he says. “A lot of these he sang – kind of like Chuck Berry’s style of people sound like a twangy version of KISS. ager that people starting call- writing. They were songs in a movie form. I They didn’t listen to Haggard.” ing him Gretsch. He had his never liked contrived songs where you could Lyles has no need to name check these just predict where it would go or what the name legally changed when he next rhyme would be.” giants in order to prove his authenticity; on songs like “Let’s Have a Rendezvous,” one The Modern Eldorados is constantly on was 18 and refers to it as the can clearly hear the ghost of Faron Young in the road, performing in clubs and festivals best $11 he has ever spent.” his voice. across the United States. The band also has “One of the blueprint albums for me performed at multiple festivals in Europe. was Ray Price’s ‘Night Life,’” Lyles says. “ I loved everything Faron Their popularity is hardly shocking for anyone who has witnessed their Young did. And Marty Robbins – man, he just walked on water.” high-energy stage show in person, on YouTube, or via their featured When Lyles speaks of Robbins, who died in 1982 from complicaappearance on the PBS live concert series “Studio Amped.” What is tions following cardiac surgery, it becomes clear how much affection he remarkable is that they have garnered this level of success and are able to has for the late Robbins and the major impact he had on Lyles. tour without any current music on the market. “I vividly remember when he died. I went to school that morning “There is a myth that you can’t tour without having an album to knowing that he was having surgery. I spent the entire day praying that sell,” Lyles says. “Our live show is what sells us. Our performances have

12 • DECEMBER// JANUARY 2016

opened more doors than a thousand press kits. This really doesn’t happen to most people without a product. We’ve been lucky, but we’ve worked hard for it, also.” After nearly 20 years of performing, the band isn’t hurting for a lack of original material. Lyles estimates they have at least five albums worth of songs, and they have been working on an upcoming release for the last two years at Studio 19 in Nashville, once owned and operated by Elvis Presley’s original guitarist, Scotty Moore. The delay in the album is partially due to the band’s heavy touring schedule and because of its commitment to putting out a quality product. “An album should catch you and take you on ride, and that’s what we want to do with this one,” Lyles says. “It’s like watching Goodfellas for the first time. There is not one wasted scene in that movie. It has to be the right songs and the right people playing on the album.” With Lyles’ formidable songwriting and singing talent, the masterful musicianship of the Modern Eldorados, and some augmentation from folks such as Kenny Vaughn (of Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives), it’s hard to imagine the end result being anything less than stellar. Just like everything else The Modern Eldorados have done, the method was anything but modern - the basic tracking for the forthcoming album was done live with all of the musicians in one room. Everything has been recorded except for some of the final vocals, and he estimates that they are about 90 percent finished. The goal is to have the album released before the end of the year. The Modern Eldorados has received some interest from the Sony Music Group, but its main focus is simply preaching the gospel of country music. “For some people, it’s all about beautiful girls and people bringing you record deals,” he says. “That’s their cup of tea. As long as someone wants our music and is able to get it – that’s what I care about. I like to make people happy and give them a good reason to come back again.” Given the popularity the group has amassed over the years, they appear to be working with a strong business model. “Everything I’ve ever wanted came from playing music and being nice to people,” he says. “Music was always my escape, and I came by this music honestly. I was raised with it. I feel like a preacher on a pulpit when I’m up there with a mic in my hand. Not trying to be overly sentimental, but I’ve seen a lot of great things from behind a guitar ... and I’ve got a lot more great things to see from behind that guitar.” WANT TO KNOW MORE? Visit the band at themoderneldorados.com

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FEB. 26–27 • Morgan City, La. Boat tours into various waterways to view eagles and their nests, seminars from wildlife and nature experts, live raptor presentation, dinner with guest speaker, photography workshop and opportunities to meet fellow birders.

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COVER STORY

A view of Silver Street, leading to the Natchez Under the Hill area. Today the area is laden with restaurants and night clubs housed in historic buildings—the very buildings that were much a part of Natchez’ river life in the 18th and 19th centuries.

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STORY FROM NATCHEZ, MISS.

By KARA MARTINEZ BACHMAN Photographs by MARIANNE TODD

n a late afternoon in early October, Pam Buckley sat pretty on a bench outside Stanton Hall. She wore a ladylike hooped dress, perfect for her role as tour guide in the home built in 1859 by cotton merchant Frederick Stanton and now owned by the Natchez Garden Club. She talked about the opulent 14,000 square-foot home, describing it as Greek Revival with Italianate influences. In each room, she pointed to the home’s uniquely beautiful gasoliers – gas powered chandeliers – that are among the finest examples found in Natchez. She talked of rococo revival furniture and Carrera marble cherubs decorating fireplace mantles and pointed out meticulously hand-painted Jean Zuber wallpaper, imported from France. It was stunningly beautiful. And then Buckley said the truth of it. A visit to Natchez is not about decor and columns and plaster, or about the uncomfortable hoop skirt she wore, but about the people, the events and the circumstances that have surrounded these places for generations. “This is a social town,” she said. “It’s for people who enjoy people, and special people interested in history get the most out of it.”

That history will be on display throughout 2016 as the City of Natchez – the oldest continuous settlement on the Mississippi River – celebrates its Tricentennial. According to Natchez Convention and Visitors Bureau officials, a series of events celebrating the city’s founding in 1716, and all the years since, will “have something for everyone, with a wide range of annual events and festivals, historical reenactments, sporting events, celebrations of art and music, inspiring experiences,” and more. Setting the daily tone for the year-long festivities is “The History Minute.” These one-minute episodes broadcast daily

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via the internet will provide bite-sized tidbits about the city’s past. A project of the National Park Service – which is celebrating its own 100-year anniversary throughout 2016 – the series is planned to feature audio with collections of historic photos that tell a new story each day. “We’re just so excited about the subjects that have been suggested to us,” said Kathleen Bond, Natchez National Historical Park superintendent. Bond’s fellow historian and colleague, Jeff Mansell, is already busy collecting the stories featured in each “Minute.”

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“Natchez is the point of high ground between Memphis and New Orleans. We’re on a 200-foot bluff,” Bond said, of why the site was strategically appealing both to its original inhabitants – the Natchez American Indian tribe – and later, European settlers exploring along the Great River’s banks. Although the native tribe had been living there for hundreds of years, Natchez’ formation is officially August 3, 1716, when French explorers completed construction of a wooden palisade fort on the bluff overlooking the river. “Natchez was their most important, biggest fort on the Mississippi River,” Bond said. The original Fort Rosalie is now gone, but what stands there now is almost as interesting: a circa 1823 mansion that practically has the Mississippi River in its backyard. It’s within the boundaries of what is now the Natchez National Historical Park, which also includes the Greek Revival-style mansion Melrose and the William Johnson House. Open for tours, the museum home of Rosalie not only provides one of the best views in town, but the estate is hallowed grounds when it comes to Natchez history. After the French flag blew high on the bluff, other empires tried establishing a foothold; the trajectory of rule wasn’t all that different from that in New Orleans, the larger sister city three hours south. Next, in quick succession, came British rule following the French and Indian War in the 1760s, then, Spanish rule, under which were laid out the city streets of Natchez.

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: The original Fort Rosalie is now gone, but what stands there now is almost as interesting: a circa 1823 mansion that practically has the Mississippi River in its backyard; White columned Stanton Hall is one of the river city’s largest antebellum attractions with 14,000 square feet of touring space; King’s Tavern, built in 1769 is Natchez’ oldest landmark and today serves as a restaurant and tavern.

According to Bond, it all ended in 1798 when, “The Mississippi Territory was created, and that’s when we became American.” It was during these years that many grand estates – myriad properties that must be toured to properly experience Natchez – were erected. Examples from this period, all of which may be on the tour schedule during the city’s popular Fall or Spring Pilgrimage Tours, include the Italianate mansion, The Towers, originally begun in 1798; The Gardens, built in 1794 as a summer retreat for Spanish Colonial Governor Stephen Minor; the circa 1794 Governor Holmes House, built for the first elected governor of Mississippi; and many more. Also from this period is another tourist hotspot – the King’s Tavern – located in the Natchez-on-Top-of-the-Hill Historic District. Now serving as a restaurant and tavern, the building built in 1769 is today the oldest structure standing in town. Later to come on the Natchez landscape would be circa 1812 Auburn, “the first major building in Natchez to follow an actual architectural plan,” and including a unique unsupported circular staircase; the Greek Revival mansion, Magnolia Hall, built in 1858; Stanton Hall, where Buckley gives tours and educates people on the ways of the old South; and the magnificent octagonal, six-story, 30,000 square-foot Longwood mansion, circa 1861. During the antebellum years, the puzzle pieces that led to the institution of slavery began to fall into place. “The French were the first who brought African slaves,” said Bond,

but “the French had a very small garrison here and small farms.” It wasn’t until the British issued large land grants in the 1760s that parcels became big enough to encourage large-scale agriculture. They tried to grow indigo tobacco, but had limited success, Bond said. The cotton gin allowed for rapid processing of cotton, which enticed growers to a crop that did succeed in the local climate. “The one piece you needed in 1812 was the steamboat,” Bond said. The Mississippi River was used to transport product and labor. Steamboat travel used as product transport happened to coincide with the outlawing of the transatlantic slave trade in 1808, and so created a market for slaves transported to the fertile Mississippi cotton fields from places such as Virginia. A visit to Natchez isn’t just about the beautiful homes and wealth; it’s also about the stories of the laborers, the enslaved people, who made that wealth possible. The trading site on which a National Historic Marker is placed isn’t much of a tourist site, but the Forks in the Road Historic Site tells the story of the thriving slave trade that helped grow the city’s wealth way back when. According to Bond, it was nearly the South’s largest slave market, second only to Algiers, across river from the Port of New Orleans. Despite the proliferation of the slave trade and plantation system, Natchez was a mixed bag of loyalties, which just may have helped save it from damage during the Civil War. Perhaps it was a partial loyalty to the Union that spared Natchez the worst conflict and allowed its older READLEGENDS.COM •

“A

fter the French flag blew high on the bluff, other empires tried establishing a foothold; the trajectory of rule wasn’t all that different from that in New Orleans, the larger sister city three hours south. Next, in quick succession, came British rule following the French and Indian War in the 1760s, then, Spanish rule, under which were laid out the city streets of Natchez. It all ended in 1798 when, ‘The Mississippi Territory was created, and that’s when we became American.’”

- Kathleen Bond,

Natchez National Historical Park superintendent 20 • DECEMBER// JANUARY 2016

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“Despite the proliferation of the slave trade and plantation system, Natchez was a mixed bag of loyalties, which just may have helped save it from damage during the Civil War. Perhaps it was a partial loyalty to the Union that spared Natchez the worst conflict and allowed its older buildings to stand unscathed today.”

buildings to stand unscathed today. Many of the beautiful homes were occupied by Union troops during these years. “When Mississippi held its secession convention at the beginning of the Civil War,” Bond said, “Adams County decided not to succeed.” She stresses there were split loyalties, with some dissenters, but that “most of the wealthy planters were unionists.” Bond said the post-war reconstruction era was filled with an “explosion of black political activity” as former enslaved men began to hold public office. Natchez had a higher number of African-American politicians than anywhere else in the state and made history when local resident Hiram Revels was elected as the first African-American United States Senator. Those interested in the role of African-Americans in local Natchez history might want to visit the Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture. With so much to take in, Bond suggests Tricentennial-year visitors first visit the Natchez Visitors Center. Huge and state-of-the-art for a city the size of Natchez, the center offers a gift shop, historic exhibits, a 20-minute film and offices for both

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the National Park Service and Natchez Pilgrimage Tours. Those visiting in 2016 will want to ask about Tricentennial events, beginning on New Year’s Eve, 2015, with a kick-off celebration and fireworks show. Other flagship events include a special Natchez Festival of Music during the month of May; an “Explore Natchez Roots” History Conference; a “Raise the Roots” Genealogy Conference; a health and fitness expo in coordination with Alcorn State University; and a special “Birthday Celebration” at the old Fort Rosalie site (on August 3) that includes visitors from France and Canada, plus a 300-gun salute. The festivities end on December 3 with a holiday parade celebrating the diverse cultures that have called Natchez home. Bryan Walcott, who said her grandmother owned the beautiful local home Lansdowne, spent her life in Natchez. On a Saturday during Fall Pilgrimage, she stood in the front of Rosalie wearing a hoop skirt. “I will quote someone else,” she said, during a tour break, ‘If we don’t know our history, we’re bound to repeat it.’ That’s the motto I live by.” By all indications, it’s a motto most of Natchez seems to understand well. L WANT TO KNOW MORE? For a comprehensive calendar and list of year-long Tricentennial events, visit natchezms300.com. For more information on Natchez Pilgrimage Tours, visit natchezpilgrimage.com. For city information, including visitors information, history, weather, lodging, dining and other need-to-know information for travelers, visit visitnatchez.org.

STORY FROM NATCHEZ, MISS.

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ome people are afraid of making biscuits. Janet Tyler used to be one of them. Like many other accomplished cooks, she avoided them for decades. There’s a certain alchemy involved in a perfect biscuit – an intangible element, and the best cooks respect it. A good biscuit requires a certain touch and feel, a physical knowledge beyond what recipes convey, and that knowledge often comes from Southern mothers and grandmothers. In Tyler’s case, she learned to make her employer’s recipe. “Regina was out of town and we had a group coming to tour the house. I called everybody I could think of trying to get somebody over here to make the biscuits. Nobody could do it. It had to be me,” says Tyler. Tyler made the biscuits successfully, and now she makes them often. (At work. Not in her home kitchen.) Tyler spends much of her time at Twin Oaks cooking alongside owner Chef Regina Charboneau, who entertains groups of visitors touring the home or staying in one of the B&B’s six guest rooms. “We serve almond iced tea and biscuits with preserves during every tour,” says Charboneau, also an author and restauranteur as well as Chef de Cuisine for the American Queen Steamboat. “My biscuit recipe reflects my culinary training in France as well as techniques I learned growing up in Natchez. The method I use to make my dough is similar to that used for puff pastry or croissants, with the butter suspended in flaky layers. I keep a tea towel under the dough as I fold and turn to make the whole process easier,” she says. Raising two boys and balancing myriad projects in addition to TOP: Regina Charboneau, cookbook author and bed and breakfast owner, has a layered method of preparing her biscuits and biscuit crusts for pot pies; left, Charboneau’s biscuits with ham and mayhaw jelly. (Photographs by Ben Fink) OPPOSITE, CLOCKWISE: The Carriage House at Stanton Hall still uses its original 1946 biscuit recipe, made by chef Bingo Strarr, right; The Pilot House restaurant at Hotel Vue features a biscuit appetizer created with fried rabbit, goat cheese and mayhaw jelly, created by the restaurant’s chef, Cody Wallace, left. (Photographs by Marianne Todd and Rory Doyle)

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Twin Oaks, Charboneau found herself sending guests across the street for breakfast – to Dunleith. They came back praising the sweet potato biscuits made there by Ms. Rose. Visitors praised the biscuits all across town, inspiring Charboneau to begin promoting Natchez as the Biscuit Capital of the World, a title the local government has claimed and celebrated since 2008. There’s a (Martha White sponsored) biscuit cook off, a yearly biscuit festival in September and innumerable biscuits to eat. One of the oldest restaurant biscuit recipes in town comes from The Carriage House on the grounds of Stanton Hall. The restaurant opened in 1946, serving baby biscuits and tomato aspic to lunching ladies and members of the Natchez Garden Club. Current chef Bingo Starr faithfully replicates these menu items using original recipes, but reinvents

and updates other regional dishes with global culinary influences. He’s part of a growing number of chefs moving to Natchez and adding to the culinary scene, including Cody Wallace at the recently opened Pilot House restaurant in Hotel Vue. Wallace learned to make biscuits from his mother, a short order cook. His biscuits at the Pilot House, “come from her recipe but with my own twists. I add herbs for the biscuits in our appetizer,” he says. This dish also features fried rabbit and goat cheese with mayhaw jelly and local honey, reflecting the restaurant’s focus on regionally sourced ingredients. “Our goat cheese is made in Natchez and we source most produce nearby. There is a lot available to us in the Delta,” says Wallace. Other well-regarded biscuit stops downtown include Biscuits and Blues and King’s Tavern. The former serves baskets of biscuits with apri-

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cot butter and offers live music most nights. The atmosphere is vibrant and relaxed. King’s Tavern embraces a different ambience. The motto “Spirits of All Kinds” alludes to their signature rum produced next door as well as the ghosts said to haunt the building, constructed in the late 18th century. Muted lighting and exposed bricks enhance the feel that spirits might be lurking. The menu leans toward rustic and casual, but with upscale touches. The most popular flatbread (the menu contains several) features braised brisket, olive oil, caramelized onions and a drizzle of horseradish cream. The salads are perfectly balanced – one offers slightly bitter green apples with a sweet preserved lemon vinaigrette, a crisp round of prosciutto, shaved Parmesan and greens. Charboneau oversees menu development while husband Doug and son Jean Luc oversee operations of the distillery next door. Charboneau Rum sold its first bottles in late 2014. It’s a small batch white rum, produced with local sugar and molasses, and it works well in the craft cocktails served at King’s Tavern. Bar manager Ricky Woolfolk’s riff on a rum and coke (called the RC Cola) features Charboneau rum and black cherry cola made in house with angostura bitters, lime and effervescence. Overall the bar program is familiar but fresh, a mantra that also guides the menu. King’s Tavern’s ode to biscuits comes from Charboneau’s bacon-thyme biscuit crust topping the chicken and crawfish pot pies. The filling is a traditional cream sauce with sautéed mushrooms, carrots, peas and corn. The crust’s flaky layers come from Charboneau’s unique biscuit recipe, with the addition of fresh thyme and crisp, crumbled bacon during the process of folding and turning the dough. Home cooks often utilize the drop biscuit method. Rather than rolling out dough and cutting individual biscuits, they drop lightly mixed balls of dough directly onto a baking sheet. Vonice Jester lives just across the river in Vidalia, La., and prepares an updated version of her grandmother’s biscuits. “She had a wood stove and she would drop biscuits on the top of it and make them a little thin and pour oil on them. She called them Wisner flapjack biscuits,” she says. “I roll mine out now and make them with buttermilk, but I still like to make them thin so they almost have a crust.” L

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OPPOSITE: Rum from the Chaboneau Rum Distillery, located next door to King’s Tavern, allows for great cocktail concoctions. The spirits pair well with the flavor of King’s Tavern food. Featured here is a biscuit-layered chicken pot pie alongside a Charboneau rum and black cherry cola. ABOVE: Peter Trosclair, chef at Biscuits and Blues, which serves freshly made biscuits with apricot butter. (Photograph by Rory Doyle)

THE CARRIAGE HOUSE BISCUIT RECIPE 2 cups all-purpose flour ¼ tsp salt 5 tbsp solid vegetable shortening ¾-1 cup milk 4 tsp baking powder 1 tsp sugar Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix all dry ingredients and sift. Add shortening and cut with pastry cutter until mixture looks like coarse meal, add milk and stir until it forms balls. Place ball on boards sprinkled with flour. Roll out to ¼ inch thickness and cut in ½ inch circles. Place on ungreased cooking sheet and cook for 15 minutes.

REGINA’S BUTTER BISCUITS WITH ORANGE MARMALADE BUTTER Note: Freezing the biscuits before they’re baked is essential—it adds to the flakiness, and the unbaked biscuits can be made ahead and kept for up to two months in the freezer. Makes 2 dozen 4 cups all-purpose flour ¼ cup baking powder ¼ cup sugar ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, chilled and cut into 2-inch cubes 1½ cups (3 sticks) salted margarine, chilled and cut into 2-inch cubes 1¾ cups buttermilk, chilled 1. Put the flour, baking powder, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Turn

the machine on low and blend the dry ingredients for 15 seconds. 2. Add the butter and margarine cubes and the buttermilk to the flour mixture before turning on the mixer. Turn the mixer on medium and count to ten. This goes very quickly; the key is to not overmix the dough. There will be large chunks (the size of quarters) of butter and margarine in the dough. That’s just how it should be. Don’t mix it any more. Once the dough is rolled and folded, it will become smooth. 3. Scrape the dough from the bowl onto a generously floured work surface and shape into a rectangle about 2 inches thick. Fold the dough into thirds and, with a rolling pin, roll the dough out to a 2-inch thickness. Fold it again into thirds, give the dough a one-quarter turn, and roll it out again to a 2-inch thickness. Continue folding, turning, and rolling the dough until it is smooth and the dough has yellow ribbons of butter and margarine. This is a sign that the biscuits will be flaky. 4. Roll the dough to 1 1/2-inch thickness. Using a 2-inch biscuit cutter, cut the dough into rounds. When rerolling the dough, gently stack it to retain the layers. Do not overwork the dough. 5. Place the biscuits on a baking sheet and freeze. Once frozen, transfer the biscuits to plastic bags. 6. To bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Place however many frozen biscuits you want to serve in the cups of muffin tins Let thaw in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Bake until golden brown, 23 to 25 minutes. Serve right out of the oven— biscuits are best freshly baked. Baking them in muffin tins is key, as it helps the biscuits keep their shape and get the perfect crispness on the bottom.

ORANGE MARMALADE BUTTER 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, at room temperature 3 tablespoons sweet orange marmalade 1. Put the butter and marmalade in a mini food processor and pulse to combine. (Alternatively, whisk together the butter and marmalde in a bowl.) Using a rubber spatula, transfer the butter to a decorative serving bowl. 2. Serve the butter with hot biscuits or other breakfast pastries. The butter also can be spread onto a sheet of plastic wrap, shaped into a log, wrapped, and frozen. Bring to room temperature before serving, either on a butter dish or cut into thin slices. READLEGENDS.COM •

STORY FROM NATCHEZ, MISS.

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ith stunning performances by the likes of Metropolitan Opera to Rock ‘N’ Roll stars, one might think the Natchez Festival of Music couldn’t get any better. But for this city’s Tricentennial celebration, there’s no limit on talent with six-time Grammy winner Glen Ballard leading the cast, slated May 7-28. Ballard’s resume reads like a veritable who’s who of popular music from the last four decades, having written for and produced artists like Michael Jackson, Aerosmith, Alanis Morissette, the Dave Mathews Band and Katy Perry. “When I first moved to L.A., I was doing the singer/songwriter thing and playing in coffee houses, but I found out early on that I needed to be playing to my strengths,” Ballard says. “I think I have a good voice, but it’s not a voice that I would pay to listen to, and I don’t think anyone else would. I figured that I was much better at songwriting and composing and paying attention to the way records sound, so why not get the best singer I can to sing this stuff? I never really had that burning desire to be on stage anyway.” Ballard has lived in Los Angeles for the past 40 years, but the seeds of his musical inspiration were planted while growing up in Natchez. “The first sound I fell in love with was the sound of my piano. I inherited this lovely baby grand piano from my aunt, and from the time I was able to get up on the piano bench and hit a couple of notes, I knew that this was for me,” he says. “Natchez has always been a very rich town culturally, and it was just a very rich time to be alive in general. Back then, there were all kinds of local music making it on to the airwaves. At that time, between Natchez and New Orleans you heard echos of everything.” In 1975, Ballard hit the road to California for the first time, delivering caps and gowns and yearbooks to high schools and colleges in the Los Angeles area. “It was the worst job of all time, and I would never recommend it to anyone, but it was my way to get to L.A.,” he laughs. “It was about 2,000 miles driving from Jackson, Mississippi, in a 22-foot Ryder truck that could barely go 45 miles an hour. My

prostate still feels it. There were about 50 schools that we had to deliver to. You’d show up and have to back this huge truck into the strangest places and unload all of these boxes and then come back and get everything like three days later. I think I made about $300.” It was enough, however, to convince him to relocate. “I immediately packed up everything I could into my Satellite Sebring and drove back to Los Angeles, and I’ve been here ever since. That was 40 years ago, and it’s been kinda dreamlike.” One of Ballard’s first jobs in his new hometown was as a lower level assistant to Elton John’s band. The band discovered that Ballard was a writer and musician, which lead to Kiki Dee recording his composition “One Step,” which became his first taste of pop chart success. Motivated by this success, Ballard began a strict writing regiment that eventually gained him a job as a writer for MCA Music Publishing. “At this point, I was writing hundreds and thousands of songs really trying to get good at it, since someone was paying me to do it. Dozens of artists would be looking for songs to record, and I would just write songs for everybody that was on the list of people shopping around for songs.” Ballard’s big break came when he caught the interest of Quincy Jones in 1980. “I had written a song called “What’s On Your Mind,” and my publisher Rick Shoemaker wanted Quincy to hear it. I wasn’t able to get it directly to Quincy, but we got it to Quincy’s No. 1 songwriter. He liked it and got it to Quincy for a session that Quincy was doing with George Benson. So I get a call from Quincy saying that he liked it and wanted to cut it. It really started there for sure.” Ballard spent much of the ‘80s working for Jones’ Qwest Records. As a producer, Ballard had success in the R&B field with artists such as Evelyn “Champagne” King, Teddy Pendergrass and the Pointer Sisters. He also achieved massive success as a songwriter, scoring a No. 1 pop single for Michael Jackson with “Man in the Mirror” and a No. 1 country single for George Strait with “You Look So Good in Love.”

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Glen Ballard is the writing talent behind hundreds of successful rock and pop releases, having written and recorded with artists such as Dave Matthews, above right, and Alanis Morissette.

In 1994, Ballard was introduced to an unknown artist from Canada. The partnership would lead to an album that would sell more than 33 million copies, becoming the biggest selling pop album of the 1990s. “They had a writer named Alanis Morissette who had been signed to MCA Records Canada. After a couple of albums, they decided not to renew her contract as a recording artist but they did renew her publishing,” Ballard says. “They sent her to L.A. on a writing trip and asked me to work on some material with her. So, every day we wrote a song and finished it. We got together 20 times and wrote 20 songs, and 12 of them are on ‘Jagged Little Pill.’” While working on the demos, Morissette and Ballard realized they had the makings of an album on their hands. In early 1995, with very little overdubbing, they began shopping the record around. “Everybody passed on it,” Ballard laughs. “Everybody. Eventually, a young A&R guy at Maverick Records named Guy Oseary heard it or it would never have been released. It’s funny – in January of 1995, nobody wanted it but by June she was on her way to a three-year run that no one could have predicted. “Really, nobody in their right mind could have foreseen the success it had,” he continues. “There was no set up and no marketing plan. We

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just put it out. It happened so spontaneously. People were saying that it came out of nowhere. It really did; it came out of my garage in Encino.” Ballard followed up the success of “Jagged Little Pill” by working with Aerosmith on their “Nine Lives” album, No Doubt (producing their Grammy nominated album “Return of Saturn”) and Dave Matthews Band, co-writing and producing every song on “Everyday,” which featured the band’s first Top 40 hit, “The Space Between.” “Dave Matthews and I wrote 12 songs in ten days,” Ballard reminisces. “And everything we wrote was written in one sitting. Dave and I were just supposed to write two songs together. And because I barely had the band for three and a half weeks, it’s a miracle that it ever got recorded. They usually take a lot longer to make a record, so this was a different experience for them. I’ve heard some people say that it doesn’t sound like the rest of their output, and it might not because of how quickly we worked. But it is the most fun record I’ve ever made, no doubt.” One of his more recent contributions to the world of pop music has been Katy Perry. “She was 19 when I met her, and I was immediately taken with how talented she was,” he says. “She auditioned with nothing more than

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an acoustic guitar. I knew that she had evADD,” he laughs. “Classical is my passion, erything I wanted in an artist. She could but I also grew up the small town of Manplay, she could sing, she could write, she chester, Ga., where a lot of people probhad great presence and she was fearless. ably didn’t know opera from okra. So, I Never known anything as much as I knew definitely recognize the need to appeal to that she was a star at that moment. She was everyone.” dropped by a few labels before she reached From the beginning, Natchez was her success, but I knew she had something a natural choice for a music festival of this and encouraged her not to give up. So, I nature to flourish. Sitting where it does guess I was right about her, you could say. on the Mississippi River, it has historically She’s definitely made me look good.” drawn visitors from all over the world. Ballard has seen some of the concerts “It is not at all uncommon to sit at the Natchez Festival of Music, but this in a restaurant here, and hear French being Ballard with Katy Perry, another pop artist with whom he has worked. is his first time as a featured artist. spoken on one side of you and German on “I’m a songwriter, not a performer. the other side,” Deans says. “People come But with an orchestra and some other singers, I started thinking this here from all over for the river, architecture, music, food and history. It is something that I could pull off,” he laughs. “I’m comfortable with is the jewel of the Mississippi. The view of the river from over the bluff performing, but it isn’t something I ever think about doing.” is just breathtaking. Because of the richness we have here in Natchez, it In addition to presenting his songs, he plans to talk a bit about how may very well be the most globally famous city in Mississippi.” they were written and how the influences he absorbed growing up in The home base for the Natchez Festival of Music is the Margaret Natchez have manifested themselves into his work. Martin Performing Arts Center, but events will take place in historic “It’s always been this magical place,” Ballard says of Natchez. “The churches, night-clubs and homes around the city, some of which haven’t pedigree of 300 years is impressive. It’s imbued with a richness that you been open to the public in years. don’t find in a lot of places. It’s in a bubble, kind of, in that none of the big highways go through there. It’s just floating aside the Mississippi River like this great jewel. I’m enormously fond of Natchez and proud to be associated with it in any way.” • Rockin’ On the River at Bowie’s Tavern starring Speakeasy, a The Inspirations of Glen Ballard show will take place at the MarNatchez-based band playing songs from a wide array of influgaret Martin Performing Arts Center, formerly Margaret Martin Junior ences, including Tom Petty, the Beatles and Stevie Wonder. L High School, where a young Ballard attended as a student. • The 300 Year Journey. Pianist Jonathan Levin plays pieces that highlight the musical influences from those who have settled in ABOUT THE FESTIVAL Natchez over its 300-year history. Originally called the Natchez Opera Festival, the first annual event • An Evening of Andew Lloyd Webber. A celebration of music was held in 1990. The name was changed to the Natchez Festival of from the composer behind some of the most popular musicals Music in 2003 as it became more wide ranging. the world has known including “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Cats,” “When I was first approached to take the role of artistic director, and “The Phantom of the Opera.” they had been doing opera, Broadway musicals and jazz,” says Jay Dean, • Blues, Brews and Soul with Harper and Midwest Kind. An excitwho has served in this position since 2011. “I wanted to make it more ing hybrid of blues and world music from the Australian act that inclusive to give tourists a taste of the diversity of Natchez.” has received 14 Blues Music Awards. Through the years, Dean has expanded the Natchez Festival of Mu• “Showboat.” A presentation of the 1927 musical written by Jesic to include blues, folk, bluegrass, R&B, country and rock in addition rome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein. Set in Natchez, the iconic to the classical music and musical theatre for which it had been known. musical features songs such as “Ol’ Man River” and “Can’t Help In the process, he has been instrumental in making it one of the broadLovin’ Dat Man of Mine.” est music festivals in the United States in its offerings. • “Carmen.” A performance of the most popular opera ever writ One of the unique aspects of the Natchez Festival of Music is that it ten. Set in Seville, Spain, “Carmen” will represent Natchez’ time places all of the various offerings on a level playing field. as a Spanish colony. “Eclecticism is what I’m all about – it’s like a musical version of

OTHER NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC EVENTS

32 • DECEMBER// JANUARY 2016

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STORY FROM NATCHEZ, MISS. AND VIDALIA, LA.

34 • DECEMBER// JANUARY 2016

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iles Island’s reputation as a deer hunter’s paradise comes in part from native sweet pecan trees that grow in the area. Early settlers cut most of the area’s oak and cypress for 18th and 19th century construction in Natchez, and pecan quickly grew to replace it. Deer love to eat the nuts these trees produce. The 10,000-acre nature preserve, where tourists hunt, fish and experience the beauty of the river delta, is surrounded by the Old River and several oxbow lakes. There, guides offer hunts for deer, alligator, turkey and small game. “I grew up with Giles Island as my backyard, and it was Jurassic Park in a good way,” says JimBob Allgood, host of Redneck Adventures TV and tour guide with Miss Lou Adventures. One of his day trips begins across the river from Natchez in Vidalia, La., exploring the hunting camps between the city’s ring levee and Old River. On hot days alligators lay along the grassy incline sloping downhill from the levee, leading to a swampy area where great blue herons stand, looking down into shallow water for passing schools of fish. “We see so many different birds,” says JimBob. “Woodpeckers, hawks, eagles and egrets … they’re part of our everyday environment.” Camp owners have resided in the area for generations. Most have elevated their homes to various heights; they are somewhat precarious wooden structures with accompanying deer stands and LSU regalia. Allgood says he used to root for the Tigers, but has recently switched allegiance to Ole Miss since his son began attending in the fall. His wife has added an “Ole Miss Mom” sticker to the truck they share as further proof. He points to Giles Island in the distance, a verdant forest several hundred yards from the levee. “A lot of people come to Natchez to see the historic homes, but more and more we’re seeing visitors looking for memorable outdoor experiences. People want to see the TOP TO BOTTOM: Bedrooms run posh at Giles Island hunting club; A hunting guide takes a nap in a Giles Island lodge recreation room; Deer antlers adorn a coffee table in the living area of the lodge. Deer are attracted to the island for its native sweet pecan trees, making it a hunter’s paradise. OPPOSITE: Hunters take a break at the Giles Island Lodge. Tourists come to the 10,000-acre nature preserve for the hunting, fishing and river beauty.

36 • DECEMBER// JANUARY 2016

wildlife of the Delta up close. I’ve got CEOs from around the country bringing in their families, and it’s amazing how many people have never been on the lake on a tube or ski boat, or spent much time outdoors,” he says. Allgood likes to go tubing on Lake Concordia, a nearby oxbow. “Pontoon boats and bows and arrows and backchannels are a lot of what we do now,” Allgood says. His bow strikes nontraditional prey – he’s been known to shoot flying Asian carp as they jump from shallow waters. Tour participants skeet shoot with shotguns and sometimes see their first gator in the wild. Allgood boats past groups of alligators then asks the tourists to get out on the lake in the tube, testing their bravery. He’s a good ole boy having a good time, and it’s a far cry from high tea in Natchez proper. Allgood embraces the stereotype of redneck, and turns it into a positive label. In his mind, redneck means survival skills, ingenuity and a connection to the local environment. Across the Mississippi River from Lake Concordia river guide Adam Elliott travels the same area as Allgood, but in a

“Adventurers made a name for themselves in Natchez when the river ran wild. Today’s adventures are a different kind of exciting. A canebrake rattlesnake slithers across the highway in the late afternoon en route to the riverbanks, while turkey and red fox watch at the edge of the woods nearby. It feels like anything can happen.”

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canoe. Leader of the Natchez outpost for the Quapaw Canoe Company, Elliott takes visitors onto the Mississippi for daytrips and camping. Like Allgood, he has an extensive knowledge of the history of the area. Many trips begin on the Natchez side of the river near the remnants of a cypress forest mostly underwater following the river’s movement eastward. When the water is low, the exposed stumps and cypress knees look sinister, recalling stories of murderers and thieves who overtook travelers along the Natchez Trace following their trips downriver. “People called the Trace the Devil’s Backbone and the low lying area nearby, the Devil’s Punchbowl. Pirates and vagabonds robbed people along the river and the roadside and dumped their bodies in the Punchbowl under the bluffs,” says Elliott. Tours move from the haunted Devil’s Punchbowl around Giles Island, where Elliott describes the infamous sandbar battle where Jim Bowie’s knife got its namesake. Adventurers made a name for themselves in Natchez when the river ran wild. Today’s adventures are a different kind of exciting. A canebrake rattlesnake slithers across the highway in the late afternoon en route to the riverbanks, while turkey and red fox watch at the edge of the woods nearby. It feels like anything can happen. Natchez’ allure comes in part from the architecture and antebellum history of its upper class, but outdoor adventures show another side of the area’s history. “Experiencing the city from the river is different. It’s closer to the way people

JimBob Allgood, left, star of TVs Redneck Adventures and river guide with Miss Lou Adventures, says people come to Natchez for the antebellum homes and history, but more and more, people are coming to experience the river and the abundant wildlife found there. Quapaw Canoe Company river guide Adam Elliott heads the Quapaw Outpost in Natchez. While Allgood’s method of travel is motor-based, Elliott uses a paddle and canoe to give tourists a glimpse of the river Delta.

experienced it in the past, and I think people look for that more and more,” Elliott says. “We see the bluffs of Natchez at sunset the way Mark Twain did, aside from the light pollution and barges.” Understanding Natchez requires visits to both the proper and improper parts of the city. There’s something to be said for admiring the river from the bluffs, but you also have to get closer. L DID YOU KNOW? The Mississippi River built Natchez, like it built all the cities in the Delta. American Indians settled first, near a bend in the river allowing for a strategic advantage over others traveling downstream. The Natchez were a mound building people, anticipating floods and shifts in the rivers as its main channel slowly pushed eastward, steadily eroding the area European settlers called Natchez Under the Hill (Natchez improper). Wealthy residents built on the bluffs overlooking the river (Natchez proper) and their cotton plantations to the west. Following the Great 1927 flood, the Corps of Engineers changed the river here, like everywhere else in the Delta, and the geography changed with it. The Mississippi’s strategic bend disappeared – channelized for the transportation of goods and flood control efforts. The remnants of the main channel exist now as Old River, a shallow backchannel full of fish and alligator. WANT TO KNOW MORE? For more information on Redneck Adventures, contact Jim Allgood, Miss-Lou Tours, (601) 597-6658, or visit missloutours.com. For more information on Giles Island, phone (877) 944-5374 or visit gilesisland.com.

Egrets rest in a tree by the river. The area is also rich with woodpeckers, hawks and eagles. “They’re part of our everyday environment,” says river tour guide JimBob Allgood. Camp owners have resided in the area for generations.

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Complete packages for Spring & Fall Pilgrimages w w w.natchezpilgrimage.com | I.800.647.6742 READLEGENDS.COM •

STORY FROM MISSISSIPPI, LOUISIANA, TENNESSEE AND ALABAMA

Tourology: Journeys through the Deep South By ADRIENNE DISON Photographs by MARIANNE TODD

rom the country music trails of Nashville to the blues trails of Mississippi, to the jazz-filled streets of New Orleans, travelers looking for an authentic, Southern experience need not look any further than Tourology. Tourology’s Natchez-based co-owner and operator Rene’ Adams has herself explored most every back road in Mississippi and Louisiana. A proud promoter of the region, she serves as a receptive tour guide for the states of Mississippi, Tennessee, Louisiana and Alabama. “I love Mississippi, and I love talking. I am very passionate about tourism and very fortunate to have had the best training to teach me all about it, and I’m passing it on now,” Adams said. “I love for people to fall in love with us and with our state because that’s how we become successful.” Tourology was created to help keep the area’s cultural history alive and allow visitors to enjoy unique Southern experiences. “We help people experience things like dinner and a tour on a cotton plantation, or historic walking tours where they can step on the steps where Louie Armstrong played his music, where riverboat gamblers got off the steamboat or where the Delta blues men got off the train,” she said. “We take them to unique places that they could not go on their own. “We help them find the places where they can eat the local cuisine, go cat fishing on the

42 • DECEMBER// JANUARY 2016

CLOCKWISE: Patrons enjoy dinner and a blues show at Clarksdale’s Ground Zero Blues Club; bar manager Ricky Woolfolk mixes cocktails at King’s Tavern, a restaurant housed in an 18th Century Natchez building; Vasti Jackson portrays Robert Johnson in a performance during the Natchez Festival of Music.

Mississippi River, listen to music of all genres or have a dining experience right on the river bank.” Tourology is about traveling the rural American landscape, the forgotten places, and telling the stories of the people who have “touched our souls and touched our heritage.” Popular specialty tours include Tupelo and the Elvis Presley Birthplace and Museum, the Mississippi Delta, including Clarksdale and the Ground Zero Blues Club, the B.B. King Museum in Indianola, the Grammy Museum in Cleveland, Natchez antebellum mansions

including Dunleith, Longwood, Stanton Hall and the William Johnson house, among other sites. Want a taste of the outdoors? Take a kayak fishing tour on the Mississippi River or travel Great River Road from St. Francisville to New Orleans, featuring music all the way. Custom group tours and convention/event tours are also offered. L

Want to go? For more information, visit tourology.net or call (601) 660-7300.

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STORY STORY FROM FROM NATCHEZ, NATCHEZ, MISSISSIPPI MISS.

scenes from the 2015

GREAT MISSISSIPPI RIVER BALLOON RACE Photographs by Marianne Todd and Rory Doyle

eld each October, this Natchez race isn't a competition of speed, but a competition of skill. Since balloon pilots use wind currents to steer their balloons, the winner is determined by the pilot who drops his weights most accurately on provided targets. But that's just one aspect of this annual festival that draws 40,000 people to this historic river city and fuels the economy by $1.3 million. And balloons aren't the only draw. This year's three-day musical lineup on the upper banks of the Mississippi River was highlighted by the popular New Orleans hit band Dr. John. Guests stroll downtown, dining in a number of unique restaurants, cozy up in their favorite bar, such as the new Smoots on the river or shop in many downtown boutiques and antique stores. Beautiful weather, good company, great music and a colorful balloon race to top it off. Hard to beat Natchez in the fall.

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Clockwise: Pilots and their crews inflate balloons in a field for take off in Vidalia, La.; a balloon glow served as the highlight of opening night on the bluff, an evening filled with music and amusement rides; people strolled along the river during the day and danced to Dr. John on Saturday night; pilot Tim Slattery of Treetop Balloons LLC, navigates his balloon during a media flight. READLEGENDS.COM â&#x20AC;˘

STORY FROM NATCHEZ, MISS.

THAT

SOUTHERN

The authentic experience of a Natchez B&B

By KARA MARTINEZ BACHMAN Photographs by Rory Doyle and Marianne Todd

46 • DECEMBER// JANUARY 2016

sther Carpenter’s bed and breakfast, the Elms, is a rare example of an antebellum property that has remained in the same family since the days of petticoats and gas lamps. “It’s come down through the female side of the family,” Carpenter said, of the five generations of her family who formerly owned the home. The Natchez house was built circa 1804, and was purchased by Carpenter’s ancestors – the Drake family of Missouri – during the 1860s. Carpenter said she still owns the diary of the original female owner, where it is written: “Today I bought the Elms with my own money for $5,000.” Carpenter said such items are on display throughout the home because the attic “had never been touched.” She said neither her grandmother nor mother had ever cleaned it out. “By the time I got here, it was like an archaeological dig,” she said, explaining how unlike many homes in the area, all the residence’s contents have been on site for many generations. “The furnishings are original to when my family was here, and maybe before,” she said. The home was constructed in the Federal style by the same builder responsible for Magnolia Hall and another home providing B&B lodging, Pleasant Hill. Guests – who hail from as far away as Australia, Great Britain and Canada – are treated to a “seated full Southern breakfast.” A noted chef and former New Orleans restaurateur who operated Esther’s restaurant in the 1980s, Carpenter also creates weekly dinners for organized tour groups who dine in the open air on her wide columned front porch.

Esther Carpenter entertains guests at her circa 1804 B&B. The home and its contents have been in Carpenter’s family for five generations. It was purchased in the 1860s for $5,000. READLEGENDS.COM •

“A lot of people feel more like an invitee than a customer,” she said, her dog, Lucy, sitting beside her, imparting a sense of down-to-earth comfort to the grand old structure. “It’s as if you were to come to a personal friend’s home. I think it’s really important that the history is living instead of dry or stationary.”

lthough Monmouth Historic Inn does not boast the same type of consistent family lineage, it claims an atmosphere that might at times hint of family. According to sales and event coordinator Makalah Brown, the feature that sets Monmouth apart is the exceptional service. Built in 1818, the Greek Revival style mansion offers 16 luxury suites and 14 rooms, both in the main house and in buildings scattered across the property’s 26 acres. There’s on-site dining at Restaurant 1818, which Brown describes as “classic American fine dining, from a veal chop to filet, shrimp and scallops, or duck.” The house offers a study, a lounge, complimentary hors d’oeuvres and handsome gardens containing a pond, gazebo and vinecovered pergola that’s a favorite spot for weddings. The family feeling – created by a caring, long-standing staff – is what Brown brags about the most, though. She said guests repeatedly comment on employees such as Hal, a bellman with 23 years of service. Or, they’ll compliment Roosevelt, the bartender who has been on staff for 26 years. According to Brown, he’s known for pouring a mean mint julep.

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A horse and carriage await Monmouth Historic Inn guests for a tour of Natchez. The 1818 Greek Revival style mansion offers 16 luxury suites and 14 rooms, both in the main house and in buildings scattered across 26 acres.

lgin Plantation lies a few minutes outside Natchez, but offers a unique experience for those interested in history. Built between 1792 and 1855, the property was originally a 1,086-acre cotton plantation. It now sits on a smaller parcel – 35 acres of land – and the two-lane road that led up to it when Ruth Ellen Calhoun and her husband bought it back in 1975 has expanded to four lanes. According to Calhoun, though, the Elgin B&B experience is aimed at taking visitors back in time, away from the bustling modern world.

Most notable about the property is the written history that comes along with it. “We have copies of the journal that the builder kept from the day he moved in,” Calhoun said. The 14 years’ worth of journals include documentation of events happening in Natchez, data on crop planting and details about everyday life on a Natchez plantation. According to Calhoun, historians at LSU have referred to it as “the best documentation of 19th century farming techniques.” When guests stay at Elgin – in one of three

Elgin Plantation was built between 1792 and 1855. The experience comes with 14 years of journaling that includes documentation of events happening in Natchez and everyday life on the plantation. Guests who stay at Elgin are treated to a tour based upon the early journal entries, weaving in an extensive historical record that many Natchez property owners might only dream of access.

and breakfast rooms was replicated and used as the door of Tara in “Gone with the Wind,” Feltus said. “It is an outstanding feature of my house.” Twenty years ago, there weren’t major hotels in Natchez, and few bed and breakfasts. “We had an extremely high amount of people coming to pilgrimage, and so we were asked to open our homes to guests, and a lot

rooms in the guest house, separate from the main house – they’re treated to a tour based upon the early journal entries, weaving in an extensive historical record that many Natchez property owners might only dream of having access.

of us did,” she said. “I just loved it so much I kept doing it.” Guests to Linden will enjoy the homey feel and period antiques. The home is filled with Federal funishings (1780-1830). All guest rooms offer four poster beds with matching linens and curtains, “as they did in the 18th century.” The dining room features a cypress punkah, a device to keep diners

t circa 1790 Linden, owner Jeanette Feltus can boast “the finest piece of furniture in Natchez,” an 18th century card table boasting antique cards and counters – what is known today as poker chips – created of mother of pearl. Feltus took ownership of Linden with her husband 60 years ago. The home had been in his family for five generations. “My children are the sixth generation of family to live in the home,” she said. “But the home has been in my husband’s family since 1849.” The home’s walls are punctuated by antiques and of portraits of the family members who lived there. The door welcoming guests to its six bed OPPOSITE: Guests tour the luxurious garden of Monmouth Historic Inn. The property is punctuated by statues, water fountains, a lake and gardens. At right, an 18th century card table with antique cards and mother of pearl counters (poker chips) sits in circa 1790 Linden as “the finest piece of furniture in Natchez.”

READLEGENDS.COM •

ABOVE: A Cypress punkah hangs in the dining room of circa 1790 Linden, upper right. The home’s door was replicated and used as the door of Tara in “Gone with the Wind.” The home, belonging to Jeanette Feltus, has been in her husband’s family for six generations. BELOW LEFT: The 1904 Bisland House B&B offers more modern amenities.

cool and to keep flies away. “They had a pretty fringe attached to it at the bottom called a shoo-fly.”

lthough Christine Tims’ B&B is a bit newer, Bisland House proves that a comfortable place of Southern respite need not date back to before the Civil War. Tims’ Colonial Revival property was built in 1904 and has three comfortable guest rooms available. Those occupying rooms are treated to a full breakfast and peaceful lower and upper porches with inviting porch swings. During the cool evenings of the Fall Pilgrimage season, there’s no better place to just sit and be still while watching the slow-moving, gentle-mannered neighborhood go through its relaxed paces.

equally as valuable to visitors. “I don’t have furniture here that people can’t sit on,” she said, contrasting Bisland’s comfortable and warm common areas with those of its older, grander, and more formal B&B counterparts. “It’s like staying with friends.” She has refrigerators stocked with drinks on both floors, afternoon cookies and a piano and guitar waiting in the living room to be used by guests on a joyful whim. Tims said it’s not just her own B&B that’s special; it’s all of them. “You get an overall personal experience that you wouldn’t get at a hotel, where you’d just be another number for the front desk,” she said. Plus, most hotels don’t have old pictures laid on guest room end tables, wide open columned verandas looking down on 200-year-old oaks, nor lessons in history and hearth waiting around every corner. L

For more information on Natchez Pilgrimage Tours, visit natchezpilgrimage.com. For city information, including visitors, information, history, weather, lodging, dining and other need-to-know information for travelers, visit visitnatchez.org.

The property is younger than, say, Dunleith, another Natchez B&B and a grand 1856 home with a carriage house that dates as far back as the 1790s. Or, The Towers, a unique Italianate mansion that was modified and built upon in three phases, with the first dating back to 1798.

Christine Tims, owner of Bisland House

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No, Bisland cannot claim such a dated provenance. But according to Tims, it offers something

Dunleith is a grand 1856 home with a carriage house that dates back to the 1790s.

READLEGENDS.COM •

STORY FROM NATCHEZ, MISS.

THE ART OF

NATCHEZ A journey of historic preservation BY JULIAN RANKIN

A cavalcade of events and social gatherings throughout Natchez’ 2016 Tricentennial Year commemorates the occasion, culminating in a late summer birthday party complete with a 300gun salute. But before those eventual fireworks, this celebratory momentum is launched with a showcase of visual art and culture that honors one of the city’s most timeless treasures; its people. The month long exhibit, Coming Home: A Tribute to Renowned Natchez Artists, opens Jan. 28 at the headquarters of the Historic Natchez Foundation. Presented jointly by the Historic Natchez Foundation and the Tricentennial Arts Committee, the exhibition presents the work of former Natchez residents whose art careers and work has been influenced by their shared place of origin. Work by artists Vidal Blankenstein, Dale Campbell Fairbanks, Susan Colter Hollingsworth, Noah Saterstrom and Will Smith Jr. captures life in and beyond the Natchez borders in a variety of media, from fabric arts and abstract narratives to photorealism. Each of these makers have been formed and influenced by their time spent in Natchez, one of the regions oldest and culturally rich cities. Vidal Blankenstein, who lives in the state capital of Jackson, describes her paintings as “psychological narratives that explore the relationships between our emotional and physical environments.” Dale Fairbanks, born in Natchez, is an abstract painter who lives and works on the Florida Gulf Coast. Textile storyteller Susan Hollingsworth’s artistic journey is rooted in Natchez but has taken her around the globe; in addition to her time in

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Mississippi, she’s lived in Africa, Europe and Central Asia. Artist Noah Saterstrom’s ancestors migrated to Natchez in 1790, and his recent body of work explores history and lineage, drawing inspiration from family memoirs. Photorealist Will Smith Jr. is likewise a product of the Natchez mystique, whose interests as an artist and designer include architecture, history and artistic phenomena. Diverse in scope, varied in media and personality, this group shares a common bond. Their Natchez homecoming is symbolic of the larger Tricentennial, where present and past Natchezians and visitors travel and return to the city to become reacquainted with it’s mythic history. The founding of Natchez predates the founding of the nation by half a century and the founding of the state of Mississippi by 101 years. It was the state capital a century before the Legislature first met in Jackson in 1822. While 1716 is recognized as the founding of Natchez as we know it, there were of course residents on the land before the French. With all history, there is pre-history. The city takes its name from those original residents, the Natchez Indians, who were instrumental in establishing the settlement. As Lance Harris, Director of the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians, explains, “the Natchez Indians were a crucial part of the founding of the city. Much of the labor for Fort Rosalie was done by the Natchez.” The Grand Village, located at 400 Jefferson Davis Boulevard, is appropriately the host site for additional events on the Tricentennial calendar. Opening March 17 is a retrospective

CLOCKWISE: “Field of Stars” and “Rescue Me” with artist Dale Fairbanks; “Armstrong” by Will Smith; “End of Summer” by Noah Saterstrom; and textiles by Susan Hollingsworth, will be on exhibit as Coming Home: A Tribute to Renowned Natchez Artists opens Jan 28 at the headquarters of the Historic Natchez Foundation.

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exhibition of artwork by the late Judie Aitken, a longtime supporter of the Natchez Powwow who missed only one such dance over 27 years and designed numerous vibrant artworks for the events. The 28th Annual Natchez Powwow, held on March 19 and 20, highlights the traditional Native American modes of celebration including intertribal dancing, gourd dancing and Native American food. Events continue at the Grand Village throughout the year, reminding visitors that the Natchez Indians gave not only their name to Natchez, but their physical toil and cultural contributions. Through the mounds and sites they left behind, their history is forever linked to that of the port city. Other arts events offered in conjunction with the Tricentennial Year include the Natchez Tricentennial photo contest, a series of art workshops titled “Celebrate with the Masters,” childrens’ art activities and a mural bordering the water designed and painted by local artists and students from Natchez public schools. The wide range of Tricentennial events is no accident. Such variety is indicative of the city’s long, complex and layered history. Natchez is as much about Indian mounds as it is about historic antebellum homes; as much about neighborhoods along the river as it is about steamboats that traverse the waters; as much about former residents and artists touched by the city’s charm as it is about folks who never left. All are equally part of the story. All call Natchez home in one way or another. There’s more than enough room for every one of these narratives here. Three hundred years worth of room.

HOMETOWN TEAMS From May 5 - June 18, the Historic Natchez Foundation will host another compelling showcase of local resonance in conjunction with the Natchez Tricentennial. Hometown Teams, part of a traveling exhibition

Paintings by Jackson artist Vidal Blankenstein.

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series in the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum on Main Street program (MoMS), documents the fervor and traditions of sports that have been so instrumental over the decades and centuries in building local and national identity. This Natchez presentation of the exhibition is supported by the Mississippi Humanities Council. “Few aspects of American culture so colorfully and passionately celebrate the American experience as sports,” said Bob Santelli, curator of Hometown Teams. The MoMS program is a key initiative that directly engages small town audiences and brings revitalized attention to communities through their own Main Street museums, historical societies and other cultural venues. Through targeted community programs and creative activities, these exhibitions become a hub for storytelling and local pride. Residents enthusiastically engage with exhibition content, as diverse community members come together to share and celebrate their heritage. This means that Natchezians themselves will have a role in shaping what photographs, ephemera and artifacts accompany and supplement the exhibition space. “The upcoming 2016 exhibit will give the foundation the impetus to begin to collect information about the city’s sports history,” said Patricia Catching, director of education at the Historic Natchez Foundation. “Efforts are already underway to scan historic photographs and identify artifacts that can be borrowed and exhibited.” Hometown Teams will be on view at the headquarters of the Historic Natchez Foundation at 108 South Commerce St., Natchez. L WANT TO KNOW MORE? Vist hnf@natchez.org

READLEGENDS.COM •

No one comes to Clarksdale looking for the ordinary, and it’s a good thing. That’s what makes us special–there’s a surprise around every corner–whether it’s one of many Mississippi Blues Trail markers, frequent festivals, great southern food or unique shopping opportunities. We’re the perfect starting point to venture in all directions looking for the real deal: north to Friars Point and Muddy Waters’ homesite at Stovall; south toward Hopson Planting Company’s commissary; and right in the middle you’ll be at Ground Zero of the blues world, both literally and figuratively. Come for a fabulous meal, an interesting stroll downtown to see our galleries and museums, or take a canoe trip down the Mississippi River. Whatever you choose, make a deal with yourself to have a really great time here.

662.627.6149 • visitclarksdale.com 56 • DECEMBER// JANUARY 2016

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STORY FROM NEW ALBANY, MISS.

58 • DECEMBER// JANUARY 2016

t’s hard to put a price on quiet. Even in a small town, the whoosh of a passing car or the clattering of a distant train seems ever-present. If you catch it on the right day, the Tanglefoot Trail will remind you. Even on the trail’s most trafficked days, there are bound to be a few moments where there is no one else in sight, ahead or behind. “I ride it as much as I can,” said Don Locke, who manages the Tanglefoot. “The solitude, the quietness, not having to worry about traffic, it’s great.” The Tanglefoot stretches along an abandoned segment of railroad from New Albany to Houston, Mississippi – a little more than 43 miles. Native Americans first forged the trail way back when, and explorers like Hernando de Soto and Meriwether Lewis traversed it as well. The Tanglefoot crosses over what is now known as King Creek, where the last of the Chickasaw kings – King Ishtehotopah – made his home. Later, Union Col. Benjamin Grierson followed the Tanglefoot as the army traveled south. The railroad itself was the dream of Col. William Clark Falkner, the great grandfather of William Faulkner. A soldier, author, businessman, politician and lawyer, Falkner fought in the Mexican War and formed his own company – the Magnolia Rifles – which be-

came part of the Second Mississippi Infantry in the Civil War. During Reconstruction, Falkner founded the Ship Island, Ripley and Kentucky Railroad Company. “The railroad officially reported the route as abandoned in 2003, and soon after there were rumblings about developing the rail line into an all-purpose trail. We formed the Rail Corridor Alliance in 2006, bought the trail in 2008, and completed construction in 2012,” Locke said. “Aldermen from all seven communities had to clear our decisions unanimously.” Now the Tanglefoot is somewhat of a scenic route through true small town Mississippi. It passes through Houston, New Houlka, Algoma, Pontotoc, Ecru, Ingomar, and comes to a head in New Albany, fittingly, where the author Faulkner was born. In New Albany, a small bike shop, Trails and Treads, greets riders as they reach the end of the trail in the midst of downtown. Trails and Treads sells repair items and also rents bikes by the day or the hour. Store manager Phillip Laney said riders stop for a treat at AC’s Coffee Shop or one of the many restaurants on Bankhead Street, New Albany’s main drag. “Every summer we see this older couple,” Laney said. “They ride all the way from Houston, and when

READLEGENDS.COM •

they get here, they eat and spend the night before heading back out the next morning. It’s a really popular attraction to make kind of a weekend out of.” The trail is popular with riding groups from Tennessee and Kentucky. Once, a biker from Oregon stopped in the store who was on a mission to bike all the trails on the outskirts of the United States. “He’d tried it once before, but burned out and had to take a plane ticket back, but he seemed pretty determined when we saw him,” Laney said. “Improvements are steadily being made to it. Local businesses sponsor mile segments of it. It’s clean and riders don’t have to worry about traffic.” Each town has its gems. Ecru’s downtown sports an old-fashioned, locally-owned butcher and grocery store, and New Houlka’s downtown is a couple of blocks west of a restored school house. Algoma, founded initially on its abundance of timber to be used as railroad ties, is home to a country store that every Tanglefoot regular knows. Ingomar sits just

“

north of a local pottery studio. “It’s helped the economy along the trail,” Locke said. “At least 10 businesses have opened up along the Tanglefoot since it opened, and they’re doing well.” In New Albany, residents and business owners have begun revitalizing older homes along the trail, renovating them into quaint getaways, with updated kitchens and baths, multiple cozy bedrooms and views of the Tanglefoot. “You literally step outside your door and on to the trail,” says Sean Johnson, New Albany’s director of tourism. The Tanglefoot is dotted with whistle stops – rest stations with bathrooms and water fountains to wet your whistle – and small decks outfitted with benches where riders can simply sit and enjoy the trees and sweet breezes. “Some of the prettiest places are along the Tanglefoot. My favorite is between the two bridges at the creek in Houlka,” Locke said. “Of course, people who come from out of state have been taken by the hos-

Each town has its gems. Ecru’s downtown sports an old-fashioned, locally-owned butcher and grocery store, and New Houlka’s downtown is a couple of blocks west of a restored school house. Algoma, founded initially on its abundance of timber to be used as railroad ties, is home to a country store that every Tanglefoot regular knows. Ingomar sits just north of a local pottery studio.”

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pitality of local riders along the trail. That’s probably what we’re most proud of.” L DID YOU KNOW? Approximately one-half mile west of the trail in Union County is the Ingomar Mound, a 2,000-year-old site which contained 14 mounds from the Middle Woodland period. One remains as a reminder of ancient culture. First excavated in the 1880s by the Smithsonian Institution, the mounds were mapped and hundreds of objects were taken by the archaeologists. Some are on display at the Union County Heritage Museum in New Albany. About six miles from the trail between Houlka and Houston are the Owl Creek Mounds, five Mississippian Period platform mounds built between 1,100 and 1,200 A.D. The nearby Bynum Mounds are located on the Natchez Trace near Houston. For more information, visit tanglefoottrail.com.

READLEGENDS.COM •

62 • DECEMBER// JANUARY 2016

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Featuring the new voice of American Soul Brian Owens Saturday, January 30, 2016 7:30 p.m. Brian Owens’s What’s Going On: The Marvin Gaye Experience focuses on the soul music legend’s greatest legacy: his songs. Owens, a jazz and soul singer from Ferguson, Missouri, crafted this tribute to Gaye in 2013. “It’s a matter of upholding the tradition of true soul music that is so desperately needed in our culture today,” Owens says. It’s also a matter of pure musical joy. Owens, his band, and his duet partners deliver hit after hit: “Can I Get a Witness,” “I Heard It through the Grapevine,” “Got to Give It Up,” “Let’s Get It On,” and many more. Everyone in the theater will be smiling and moving to the beat from the first note to the last encore.

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STORY FROM COVINGTON, LA.

Annadele’s P lantation French Creole on the Bogue Falaya

By MEGHAN HOLMES Photography by RUSTY COSTANZA

66 • DECEMBER// JANUARY 2016

ith its artisanal springs and healing breezes, Louisiana’s St. Tammany Parish often hosted summering New Orleanians during the early 19th century. On the North Shore’s Pontchartrain lake front, and along the rivers winding their way to it, hotels and estates sprung up. Colonel Thomas Sully of New Orleans constructed his estate, Monrepos, along the Bogue Falaya in 1834, and today the home – Annadele’s Plantation – boasts a bed and breakfast, fine dining and event planning. Though Covington has built up around the home, it remains tucked away, with woods and river surrounding it. “Annadele’s has always been a private residence, so in many ways it still feels that way,” says General Manager Gary St. Angelo. The estate began as a single story built in West Indian plantation style, with a 54foot wide hallway constructed from cypress boards. Four rooms extend from the hallway, now serving as the estate’s four suites. “New Orleans Mayor Walter C. Flower purchased the property from the Sullys and then it passed to cotton broker Leon Gilbert, who elevated the first story. He also added wings and additional space to the new downstairs. The property remained in their family until the 1970s,” St. Angelo said. The estate became known as Annadele’s after Linder Schroeder and her parents, the Palaccios, purchased the home in 1976. The word combines Schroeder’s middle name, Ann, with her mother’s name, Anna, and her daughter’s name Adele. Schroeder’s background as a caterer and

reputation as a consummate entertainer led to the establishment of the restaurant downstairs, but the property didn’t become a bed and breakfast until its eventual purchase and refurbishment in 2003. New owners brought in Chef Ronald Bonnette to continue the tradition of French Creole cuisine at the restaurant, while also adding an emphasis on locally-sourced ingredients and innovative preparations. Bonnette raises goats for chevre, makes pepper jellies from his garden, and picks chanterelle mushrooms in his spare time. His hobbies translate to unique flavor combinations in the restaurant’s offerings. “We are rooted in Creole Louisiana cookery. That’s my experience and I don’t want to stray too far from that. I started at Arnaud’s in the French Quarter, then worked at Dickie Brennan’s Palace Café and trained at Delgado,” says Bonnette. The restaurant’s ode to Bonnette’s former stomping grounds, Palace Café, comes from a savory cheesecake appetizer with caramelized onions, smoked shrimp and BBQ shrimp. The original

OPPOSITE: Terrine of Wild Boar atop mesclun greens with creole mustard and bread & butter squash pickles; Filet Bordelaise with Yukon Gold whipped potatoes and spinach Parmesan stuffed broiled tomato; Buttery Oyster Gratin. Upper right, Award-Winning Turtle Soup. READLEGENDS.COM •

“I

recently acquired a whole wild boar, so I’ve been working that into various recipes. Tonight I’m serving a boar crostini appetizer

with roasted shoulder meat over chevre. We’re also doing a wild boar terrine atop mesclun greens with creole mustard and bread and butter squash pickles.” - Chef Ronald Bonnette

Brennan’s version features crabmeat and Creole meuniere. Other notable appetizers include the oyster gratin: a decadent, traditional dish with butter, Parmesan and lemon, as well as the demitasse soup trio featuring a seasonal, rotating option along with turtle soup and gumbo. Other classic offerings include shrimp remoulade and fried green tomatoes topped with generous portions of lump crabmeat. “I recently acquired a whole wild boar, so I’ve been working that into various recipes. Tonight I’m serving a boar crostini appetizer with roasted shoulder meat over chevre. We’re also doing a wild boar terrine atop mesclun greens with creole mustard and bread and butter squash pickles,” says Bonnette. Boar also makes its way into a fall pasta dish where the meat is braised in red wine and tossed with linguine, mushrooms, leeks and tomatoes. A duck and boar sausage with black truffle may appear on future menus. Annadele’s entrée specials highlight seasonal ingredients. In October, Chef Bonnette offered a rich shellfish stew with shrimp, oysters, crab and fresh herbs, and garnished with arancini. Another option features grilled quail, lacquered in his pepper jelly over shrimp and eggplant dressing. “I supplement the menu with items that I forage or grow when I can. This year was great, and I found a ton of chaneterelles. They tend to

68 • DECEMBER// JANUARY 2016

grow in transitional areas; near my house, I often find them growing on white oaks along the roadside,” says Bonnette. “I also have my garden, and a couple goats. I can make one or two logs of goat cheese a week. It’s not our entire menu, but I’m hoping to use these ingredients increasingly often.” Annadele’s also offers several entrees with fresh seafood, including a fish meuniere and a pesto crusted grilled fish. A spiced lamb dish seasoned with garam masala over Israeli cous cous and edamame, finished with a pomegranate gastrique, particularly shines and shows the New American influences creeping into the kitchen and adding interesting flavors to the otherwise largely Creole options. The restaurant also serves a weekend brunch. Highlights include pain perdu with a bourbon pecan syrup, shrimp and grits, crab cake benedict and steak and eggs. Desserts include house-made ice creams and sorbets. Crème brulee and cheesecake round out both menus. Because Annadele’s hosts large events and weddings, the home features several dining rooms both upstairs and downstairs. Antique furniture and beautifully crafted fireplaces and light fixtures accent the rooms, which also feature pieces from North Shore artists. “We have artwork from Dianne Parks and Bridget Stark on display and available for purchase; both women live in St. Tammany Parish,” says St. Angelo. The dining rooms also features wide windows, opening to views of the grounds. Pine trees stand tallest, surrounded by magnolia and pear. An artisanal well built in 1827 and originating from a vein in Minnesota continues to serve as the main water well, and a fountain behind the estate reminds guests of the healing powers supposedly present in the North Shore’s underground aquifers for hundreds of years. Closer to the river, beech, hackberry and live oak trees cluster. Though Bogue Falaya means long

river, it’s a relatively short waterway with some 28 miles winding between its beginning northeast of Covington and its meeting with the Tchefuncte. “Our last groom came up the Bogue Falaya in a boat to the ceremony. He liked to hunt and fish,” says St. Angelo. The nearby river and sense of calm on the grounds, giving rise to the activity of Covington surrounding it, make Annadele’s feel anachronistic in a good way. There are surprises within its façade of gentility, from Bonette’s interesting menu additions to the recently renovated accommodations. The space is ideal for an overnight getaway or event venue, as well as a dining destination in its own right. L

Want to go? For a complete menu, restaurant hours and reservations, visit annadeles.com. For more information about Louisiana’s North Shore, visit louisiananorthshore.com.

RIGHT: Spiced Lamb seasoned with garam masala over Israeli cous cous and edamame finished with a pomegranate gastrique.

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STORY FROM JACKSON, MISS.

Photography by JAMES PATTERSON

Ballet Mississippi presents First Moves Ballet Mississippiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2015-2016 season opener, First Moves, showcased new works from local and guest choreographers, featuring a wide variety of ballet, from contemporary to classical. The Oct. 8 performance included a new work by guest choreographer, Mikhail Ilyin, USA International Ballet Competition medalist and former American Ballet Theatre dancer. Ballet Mississippi will bring E.T.A Hoffmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s classic holiday story The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (1816) to life Dec. 4th, 5th and 6th with its annual holiday performance of The Nutcracker at Thalia Maria Hall, featuring international stars Adiarys Almeida and her partner Carlos Lopez.

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WHAT’S SHAKIN’ IN THE CRADLE? •

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CLARKSDALE, MISS.

• Jan. 28-30.................. 6th Annual Clarksdale Film Festival featuring great Southern films, music documentaries and more. Official film screenings at Delta Cinema and other venues in historic downtown Clarksdale. For more information, visit jukejointfestival.com. COLUMBUS, MISS.

• Dec. 4......................... Wassail Fest, throughout downtown Columbus. Sample and judge a variety of wassail at downtown businesses and locations and take part in the Columbus Art Council’s “Cash for Christmas” raffle drawing. Starts at 6 p.m. For more information, visit visitcolumbusms.org. COVINGTON, LA.

• Jan. 30........................ Krewe of Olympia Traditional Parade, 6 p.m. For more information, visit louisiananorthshore.com/mardigras. HOUMA, LA.

• Jan. 29, 30, 31 and Feb. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 … Celebrate Cajun Mardi Gras with daily parades in Houma. For more information on parade times, visit houmatravel.com or call (800) 688-2732. JACKSON, MISS.

• Dec. 4, 5, 6................ Ballet Mississippi presents The Nutcracker at Thalia Maria Hall. Show times at 7:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. For tickets, visit balletms.com or call (601) 960-1560. • Dec. 18....................... The Molly Ringwalds, Duling Hall. Tickets are $20 advance, $25 at door. Doors open at 8 p.m., show at 9 p.m. For tickets or more information, visit ardenland.net. • Jan 15......................... The original Harlem Globetrotters, Mississippi Coliseum, 7-10 p.m., 90th Anniversary World Tour. For tickets or more information, visit harlemglobetrotters.com. MANDEVILLE, LA.

• Jan. 29........................ Krewe of Eve Traditional Parade, 7 p.m. For more information, visit louisiananorthshore.com/mardigras. MEMPHIS, TENN.

• Through Dec. 20..... If Scrooge was a Brother, sell-out yearly performance, Hattiloo Theater, 37 S. Cooper St. For tickets or more information, visit hattilootheatre.org or phone (901) 502-3486. MERIDIAN, MISS.

• Nov. 23 - Dec. 30..... 47th Annual Trees of Christmas presents Literary Legacies highlighting Southern Books & Authors, at Merrehope, 905 Martin Luther King Dr. Tours available 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Group, Sunday and evening tours available by special arrangement. For more information, visit merrehope.com or call (601) 483-8439. • Dec. 3 - 19................. Santa’s Christmas Factory at Soulé Steam Works, 1801 4th St. This family friendly event features holiday decorations, music, lights, a snow-covered play area and train rides for the kids. Open each Thursday, Friday and Saturday, December 3 - 19, from 4 - 7 p.m. Admission is $5 per person. For more information, visit soulelivesteam.com or call (601) 693-9905 information, visit meridianso.org or call (601) 693-2224. READLEGENDS.COM •

• Dec. 10....................... Kathy Mattea Songs and the Season, MSU Riley Center, Pre-Show Party at 6 p.m., show begins at 7:30 p.m. For more information, visit msurileycenter.com. • Jan. 30........................ What’s Going On: The Marvin Gaye Experience featuring The New Voice of American Soul Brian Owens, MSU Riley Center, 7:30 p.m. For more information, visit msurileycenter.com. NATCHEZ, MISS.

• Dec. 31....................... Tricentennial Kickoff Celebrations, featuring fireworks on the bluff, live music and parties at various locations. • Jan. 28 - Feb. 28....... “Coming Home: A Tribute to Renowned Natchez Artists,” an art exhibition and sale at Historic Natchez Foundation. Opening gala Jan. 28. For more information, visit natchezms300.com. NATCHITOCHES, LA.

• Dec. 5......................... 89th Annual Christmas Festival, ranked 3rd “Best Holiday Light Show” behind Rockefeller and Disney World. Celebrate the Christmas season in Louisiana’s oldest city. Daylong festival of live music, arts and crafts, food vendors, parade and fireworks choreographed to holiday music over the riverbank. For more information, visit natchitocheschristmas.com. ST. JAMES PARISH, LA.

• Dec. 24....................... Bonfires on the Levee, 7 p.m. More than 100 bonfires erected on the river levees by keepers of this longtime tradition who “light the way for Papa Noel,” the Cajun Santa Claus. For more information, visit graylineneworleans/holiday-tours. SLIDELL, LA.

• Jan. 23........................ Krewe of Mona Lisa & Moon Pie Walking Parade, 7 p.m. For more information, visit louisiananorthshore.com/mardigras. VICKSBURG, MISS.

• Dec. 5......................... The Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation’s 8th Annual “Holly Days” Arts & Crafts Show featuring a variety of Mississippi vendors, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. , 1302 Adams St. Admission is $1. Vicksburg Main Street’s Annual Christmas Parade starts at 5 p.m. For more information, visit southernculture.org or call (601) 631-2997.

IM PORTS FROM THE WORLD’S MOST EXOTIC PLACES

4300 Poplar Springs Drive | Meridian, MS | 601.483.7707

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facebook.com/traderoutesllc

(formerly South of the Border)

Join us for performances from award-winning Delta blues artists, more tamales than you can eat, or attend one of our many festivals for the most fun this side of --- dare we say paradise? » JANUARY Martin Luther King Day Parade » FEBRUARY MS River Marathon » MARCH Southern Traditional Archery Shoot at Winterville Mounds » APRIL Greenville Speedway Open Season » MAY The Leland Crawfish Festival Mississippi River Bike Rally YMCA Cotton Classic 10K/5K Run

» JUNE Delta Soul & Celebrity Golf & Charity Event Snake Grabbin’ Rodeo Warfield River Fest & BBQ Competition » JULY Greenville Celebrates America » AUGUST ARK-LA-MS Car Show MS Delta Dragon Boat Festival WWISCAA Food Festival

» SEPTEMBER MS Delta Blues & Heritage Festival Nelson Street Festival Sam Chatmon Festival, Hollandale » OCTOBER Mighty MS Music Festival Delta Hot Tamale Festival “Jim Henson” Frog Fest, Leland Greenfield Cemetery Candlelight Tour » NOVEMBER Native American Days at Winterville » DECEMBER Christmas on Deer Creek

Greenville - Washington County. More than meets the eye. www.visitgreenville.org 1-800-467-3582

Convention & Visitors Bureau READLEGENDS.COM •

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