Legends - December-January 2015 by Legends Magazine

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Any museum can display a few works, but it takes a truly special place to showcase the quirks. Visit the showcase at Greenville - Washington County: Greenville History Museum 409 Washington Avenue, Greenville Old #1 Firehouse Museum 230 Main Street, Greenville William Alexander Percy Memorial Library & Delta Writer’s Exhibit 341 Main Street, Greenville “Century of History” Hebrew Union Temple & Museum 504 Main Street, Greenville 1927 Flood Museum 118 South Hinds Street, Greenville The Patriot at Greenville Cemetery South Main Street, Greenville E.E. Bass Cultural Arts Center / Armitage-Herschell Carousel 323 South Main Street, Greenville Highway 61 Blues Museum 307 North Broad Street, Leland Jim Henson Delta Boyhood Exhibit 206 Broad Street North, Leland Winterville Mounds 2415 Highway 1 North, Winterville Greenville Air Force Base Museum Mid Delta Regional Airport, Greenville

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

Convention & Visitors Bureau

PUBLISHER AND PRESIDENT ��Marianne Todd CREATIVE DIRECTOR / LEAD DESIGNER �� Shawn T. King DIRECTOR OF MARKETING ��Ken Flynt WEBSITE DESIGNER ��Scott Mire ASSISTANT TO THE PUBLISHER ��Kim Glicco Contact LEGENDS 601-604-2963

CONTENTS DECEMBER / JANUARY 2015

Marketing - 601-479-3351 | Ken@ReadLegends.com

MUSIC

Editorial - 601-604-2963 | Editor@MississippiLegends.com Contributing writers: Chris Staudinger, Stephen Corbett, Riley Manning, Meghan Holmes, Kara Martinez Bachman, Joe Lee, Julian Rankin Contributing photographers: Chuck Cook, James Edward Bates, Michael Barrett, Joe Worthem

A Single Pink Rose

Saturday Night / Sunday Morning

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

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

CULTURE 8

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Cover Story: Wooden Vessels

Madisonville’s Wooden Boat Races pay homage to Louisiana’s boat builders

Essentially for Children

Listen and You Shall Arrive

A Perilous Journey

The Big Tent of the Art Spirit

From the Arts to Civil Rights to the Grammys

www.ReadLegends.com

ABOUT OUR COVER In a scene from the 2014 Wooden Boat Festival on the Tchefuncte River in Madisonville, Louisiana, onlookers watch “Thing One” paddle to the start line during the Quick n’ Dirty boat building contest race. The festival benefits the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum. (Photo by Chuck Cook/LEGENDS)

Marty Stuart’s most recent CD release takes listeners from the honky-tonk to the cathedral

Kim@ReadLegends.com. Copyright 2014/15. 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 from New Orleans to Chicago and Austin to Atlanta. 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, please contact us at

The music of Libby Rae Watson

Oxford’s Square Books Jr.

A life of work and prayer at St. Joseph’s Abbey The life of a Louisiana oyster Spanish sojourns to the Mississippi story If they build it, we will come

CULINARY 48

Roadside Fellowship in Warren County

In her Father’s Kitchen

The colorful and tasty Tomato Place

Beth Rogers carries on the J. Broussard’s tradition

soulfulMemphis

rhythm&blues 7 nights a week on Beale

featuring local blues by: The Boogie Blues Band with Vince Johnson Ghost Town Blues Band (2014 IBC 2nd place finalists!) Brandon Santini Band (Blues Music Award Nominee) Dr. Feelgood Potts and many more!

Memphis Blues Society Jam Every Sunday 7 pm - 11 pm

Keeping the Blues Alive since 1985

901.528.0150

at the corner of beale & third

www.rumboogie.com │ READLEGENDS.COM •

Debby Boone

Christmas Show Saturday, December 13, 2014 Celebrate the season with Debby Boone, who is known Debby Boone is known for her 1977 hit “You Light Up My Life,” which stayed at number one for 10 weeks. She received the 1977 Grammy for Best New Artist and has received an additional seven Grammy nominations, winning two more in the Christian and Inspirational categories. In addition to her recording career, Debby has appeared a number of times on the stage in New York, most recently in the part of Rizzo in the long-running revival of Grease. In 2013, Debby released her 13th studio album, a take on the songs and experiences of the Las Vegas of the ‘60s entitled Swing This. For Fans of: The Carpenters, Barry Manilow, Twila Paris, Dionne Warwick

Béla Fleck & The Knights Friday, February 6, 2015

Premier banjo player Béla Fleck is considered one of the most innovative pickers in the world and has done much to demonstrate the versatility of his instrument, which he uses to play everything from traditional bluegrass to progressive jazz to classical music. Some claim that Béla has virtually reinvented the image and sound of the banjo through a remarkable performing and recording career that has taken him all over the musical map and on a range of solo projects and collaborations. First nominated in 1998, Fleck has a total Grammy count of 15 Grammys won and 30 nominations. He has been nominated in more different musical categories than anyone in Grammy history. The roster of The Knights boasts a remarkable diversity of talents. Members are composers, arrangers, singer-songwriters, and improvisers who bring a range of cultural influences to the group, from jazz and klezmer to pop and indie rock music. Béla Fleck is an ideal collaborator with The Knights since both are at the forefront of the future of classical music in America. For Fans of: Mark O’Connor, Ricky Skaggs MSU Riley Center Box Office | 2200 Fifth Street | Meridian, MS 39301 601.696.2200 | www.msurileycenter.com | Facebook.com/RileyCenter

STORY FROM MADISONVILLE, LA.

Fans flock to Madisonville, Louisiana, each year to root for their favorite wooden boat-making team. The tradition is a tribute to the early boat makers of Louisiana, who worked with skill and precision in the absence of modern-day tools.

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COVER STORY

WOODEN VESSELS Madisonville pays homage to the artistry of boat-making By Chris Staudinger Photographs by Chuck Cook

ith more than 9,000 square miles of rivers, lakes, bayous and wetlands, Louisiana is the 5th wateriest state in the country. It’s an appropriate place to celebrate things that float, and Madisonville does it well. Claudia Gagnard grew up in Madisonville in the ’50s. She’s got alligator stories, ruffian stories, horror stories and quite a few boat stories. Her father worked as a welder for Jahncke Shipyards, a World War I-era company that once churned out 300-foot, 3,000-ton cargo ships for the Navy. She remembers him coming home with burning eyes and blistered arms, and she remembers the catfish lines that he and his coworkers strung across the Tchefuncte River (cha`funk`ta). “We’d all fight to get up in the morning to go with Daddy to check the catfish lines. And that was scary too, because you didn’t know where the alligator was. You didn’t know if you were going to step on a rat, you know,” she once told an interviewer with the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum. The working class small town of 500 was capable of creating really big, really complex things. Life was lived in the shadows of not one but three huge shipyards. Lake Pontchartrain was only a mile away, and life stayed pretty salty. Itinerant dredge

workers would come into port and take up rooms in the town’s hotels. Gagnard called them “houses of ill repute,” and she remembered sneaking over to that side of town with her friends. “You would always hear loud music,” she said, “and they had a big balcony upstairs where you’d see ladies dressed or not dressed - and, you know, the men hugging on them and all that kind of stuff, and they were drinking and everything.” Most striking, though, were the launches of newlycompleted ships. She said that they cast a holiday spell over the town, and everyone would gather along the riverbanks, eat snowballs and fried chicken and watch these massive ships get pushed out of the mouth of the little river, out to sea. For the last 25 years, by land and by water, people from across the South have made an October pilgrimage to Madisonville for a festival that feels a lot like the spell of that “national holiday.” Boats are shown, and some are sold. Ideas are traded. Mostly they come for the festivity of a twoday floating porch party on the oak-draped banks of the Tchefuncte. Standing in the sunlit cabin of the 44-foot cypress cruiser, Miss Daisy, the boat’s namesake mixed bloody Marys for her visitors. With the grace and the gold-lining of a luxury yacht and the power of a swamp trawler, the vessel has won a wall

“

Today, computers and models analyze the physics of a boat’s interactions with the forces of water, but Dufrene did it all in his head in a shack on Bayou Lafitte. He took the old wind-powered designs, shifted some curves and lines and adapted them for an engine. What resulted was the Lafitte Skiff, a design that changed life on the bayou forever. It became the model for the commercial shrimp boat, and it shrunk the time and the money necessary for captains to reach their fishing grounds.” READLEGENDS.COM •

Flags adorn the boats lining the river, Robert Williams paints his team’s boat built for the Quick n’ Dirty boat building contest while mermaid Megan Larmann is towed around the festival grounds.

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full of Boat Festival plaques over the years. But, says Daisy Garner, “When we first saw it, she was taking on water.” Her husband, Tom, knew that the tarnished queen was well worth the money and the effort (which included cracking the hull in half and replacing the engine), because it is the work of boat building royalty. Miss Daisy was originally built in 1970 by Emil “Bill” Dufrene, who has since died, and who started building boats when he was 17 and never really stopped. He built work boats, pleasure boats, skiffs and trawlers, and he eventually got so good that he stopped using written plans and worked only from the ideas in his head. Fifteen years after Dufrene completed Miss Daisy, Ray Brassieur, an anthropologist from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, visited Dufrene’s wood shop on the banks of Bayou Lafitte, south of New Orleans. “He was short and timid and old, and he was working by himself in his shop,” Brassieur says. “His shack looked like it was about to fall down.” Nearly three decades later, Brassieur is still awestruck by Dufrene’s artistry. “He was coming out of an era of sail and steam,” Brassieur says of Dufrene’s upbringing, “The main boats in his world were the sailing lugger and the sailing schooner.” Today, computers and models analyze the physics of

a boat’s interactions with the forces of water, but Dufrene did it all in his head in a shack on Bayou Lafitte. He took the old wind-powered designs, shifted some curves and lines and adapted them for an engine. What resulted was the Lafitte Skiff, a design that changed life on the bayou forever. “It became the model for the commercial shrimp boat,” Brassieur says, and it shrunk the time and the money necessary for captains to reach their fishing grounds. Madisonville may not have three shipyards, but it still knows how to build a boat. Trinity Marine Products continues to launch newly built barges on the Tchefuncte. They slide sideways from the banks and fall into the river with a 20 foot wall of crashing water. Jahncke Shipyard closed in the ’80s, much to Gagnard’s dismay. “We were shocked when that happened, we were just shocked,” she said. “I mean, the history in that place was just unbelievable. You know, if walls could talk … ” The Wooden Boat Festival does its best to make that happen. Funds from the weekend benefit the The Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum, an imposing structure that hovers on 12-foot piles in the footprint of the old Jahncke Shipyard. Not content to observe history from a distance, the museum runs a wooden boat building program in an open air wood shop beneath the building. Don Lynch enrolled in the program several years ago and built an Atchafalaya Lake Skiff with his wife. “It is a real bonding experience,” he says with a bit of a laugh. Lynch, who has gone on to become executive director of the museum, says that the 10-year-old program has produced more than 100 handmade wooden boats rooted in the traditions of southern

Louisiana. On a crowded Water Street, Ken Bordelon stood next to his recently completed skiff, the shining burgundy Emma Marie, which took honors at the festival. “It’s a dying art, the art of wooden boat building,” he said, “Very few people build wooden boats anymore.” Further downstream near the Tchefuncte, the museum was encouraging the construction of even more wooden boats. With the illfamed Quick ‘n’ Dirty Boat Races, around 20 teams had gathered on the Saturday morning of the Wooden Boat Festival to begin slicing wood, planing it and gluing it into the (sometimes crude) form of a boat. The teams have 14 hours to build a vessel. Many don’t make it. Others are equally surprising for their beauty. Sweat dripped into the wood grains as table saws whined on the town’s ball field (which was carved from Jahncke properties). Ten hours into the build, the modified pirogue belonging to Team Buras Boyz looked like it had been ordered from a catalog. It was crisp white with two blue water lines cut along the hull, the narrow gunwales eased up into sharp points. Clark Fontaine Jr. has amassed thousands of hours of boat building experience. “Aluminum boats and commercial fishing boats,” he said, “supply boats, crew boats, all that stuff.” But a two-man team at the other end of the field were bent over a particularly dangerous looking triangular skiff whose sidewalls were no more than a foot tall. Asked how his team finished last year, Capt. Blake Smith said, “We sank.” The boats are launched one by one with a great deal of fanfare. Thousands of people line both banks of the river, on land and on boats, to watch the contestants slice - or teeter - through the water, on the way READLEGENDS.COM •

Above, The boats are launched one by one with a great deal of fanfare. Thousands of people line both banks of the river, on land and on boats. Left to right, people come to watch the hand-built boats race, but they really like to see them sink. The contest offers a variety of prizes -one is the “Will it Float?” award, given to the boat that walks the narrowest line between sinking and sailing. The first entry in the Quick n’ Dirty boat building contest capsizes as it is boarded.

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to the starting line. “Oh! Oh!” said the announcer, “They’re taking on water, folks.” The spectators stood on tiptoes, hoping for a look at the dangerously-listing plywood boxes in the middle of the river. (People like to look at boats, but they really like to watch them sink.) Three inch ripples in the water were sending one woman’s squareshaped orange boat - and the crowd - into fits. The same was true of Smith’s triangular vessel. With every paddle stroke came a tilt that nearly flooded the boat. It sounded a bit like Gagnard’s description of one Madisonville boat launch gone terribly wrong. The whole town was out, she said, with the fried chicken and snowballs, to watch a ship leave the harbor. But the new vessel was so big that the tug boats [that were maneuvering it] kept losing control, and the ship almost struck the riverbank several times. After several tense hours, she said, “It knocked out the bridge tender’s house and the center span on the bridge. And, I mean that was just like a horror show for us. It was horrible because we didn’t think we’d be able to get out of town.” The bridge has long since been rebuilt, and the Quick ‘n’ Dirty teams raced or lurched or sank beneath it. Smith’s triangular boat made it. It was a true captivator, and it won the “Will it Float?” award for the boat that walks the narrowest line between sinking and sailing. Louisiana’s Maritime tradition is diverse. There are old patrician yacht clubs and canals full of half sunk trawlers, and Madisonville celebrates it right. L Claudia Gagnard’s full oral history, as well as those of many long time Madisonville residents, are available on the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum’s website. Madisonville Wooden Boat Festival - www.woodenboatfest.org Emil “Bill” Dufrene’s work can be seen at The Center for Traditional Louisiana Boatbuilding 202 Main Street Lockport, Louisiana (985) 382-5106

WANT TO KNOW MORE? Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum Open all year 133 Mabel Drive Madisonville, La. (985) 845-9200 www.lpbmm.org

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STORY FROM OXFORD, MISS.

OXFORD’S SQUARE BOOKS JR. Essentially for children (and some bigger kids, too) By Riley Manning Photographs by Joe Worthem

t’s Saturday morning in Oxford, Mississippi. Eight hours before the (then) undefeated Ole Miss Rebels kick off against the University of Tennessee, the Square is all kinds of alive. The epicenter of Oxford life teams with restaurants and boutiques. Early fans wander, yogurt or coffee in hand, in and out of shops whose proprietors have opened to greet the first truly cool day of the season. But there’s one pocket of the Square that sticks out. As the 10 o’clock hour draws near, parents funnel into Square Books Jr. for its weekly story time. The inside of the store is a kid’s dream. It is stuffed

floor to ceiling with books, stuffed animals, games, knickknacks and toys ranging from rubber lobster hands to Lego sets to marbles. One wall is made of an Essentials section – “Johnny Appleseed,” “Where the Wild Things Are,” “Corduroy” – and another of new releases like “Dragons Love Tacos.” Outside, Oxford party princess Kate Lechler has dressed up as Elsa from “Frozen” and snaps pictures with kids on a wooden bench. Square Books Jr.’s floor folks, Dillon Harris and Ginny Davis, zip here and there, attending to children and parents while the manager, Jill Moore, herds the crowd to the story area.

In 2003, the vision of Square Books Jr. sharpened into focus. The staff had kept their lips sealed about the store. Finally, the store made its move. On the eve of the release of the fifth Harry Potter book, Square Books instructed its customers to report to the Big Store at 6 a.m., promising donuts and orange juice to kids dressed in their Hogwarts finest and adults still in their pajamas. When they arrived, they were puzzled to find the store closed with only a map left behind that led them on a scavenger hunt around the square and to Square Books Jr.

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The morning’s readers are two Ole Miss alumns, Courtney Brown and Andrea Lea, reading their book, “Goodnight Ole Miss.” Their Hotty Toddy rendition of “Goodnight Moon” is the pair’s first effort. Lea said so far on their book tour they’ve visited Lemuria bookstore in Jackson and TurnRow Book Company in Greenwood as well as a few libraries and chain bookstores. But, they said, Square Books Jr. has been the highlight, and not just because they are Rebels themselves. “Oxford is a place where people come with thoughts of writing,” Brown said. “The University respects liberal arts, and the whole city feeds into that.” The actual reading is over in almost as little time as it takes for the 20 or so children to get settled. Moore has strapped on her acoustic guitar and launched into a round of “Old MacDonald,” pausing to let the little ones fill in the “quack quacks” and “oink oinks.” Moore is the key to the store, Harris and Davis said, and many of the kids call her by name. “People know her,” Harris said. “If she sees a book she thinks a particular kid will like, she’ll special order it for them. The kids and the parents trust her opinion.” Davis agreed. Both of them have elementary school teaching backgrounds and know as much as anyone the implications early reading can have on a child’s future. “It’s really uncommon for a bookstore to have this kind of impact on a community,” she said. “Kids grow up coming to this store. She knows what they’ve read, so she knows a perfect fit when she finds it.” Moore closes out story time with “The Little Old Lady Who Swal-

lowed a Fly,” emerging flushed and slightly out of breath, but smiling. You can see her handiwork all over the shelves, especially in the young adult section. “Fans of Percy Jackson will LOVE ‘The Accidental Hero’,” reads one note. “Revisit Kate DiCamillo,” reads another. “It’s kind of like being a DJ,” she said, music being another obsession of hers. “I really believe there is a book for everyone. The key is to listen to what they already love.” A native of Pearl, Moore graduated from The University of Mississippi with an English degree and spent a few years in North Carolina before moving back to Oxford. Upon her return, she applied to Square Books – referred to as “the Big Store” among employees – but a year passed before she heard back from them. Meanwhile, Square Books Jr. was still only an idea, a concept of Square Books owners Richard Howorth and Lynn Roberts. “A children’s bookstore had been in their hearts since the very beginning,” Moore said. “But you have to remember, children’s bookstores are just now becoming kind of trendy. Back then, they were basically unheard of.” In 2003, the vision of Square Books Jr. sharpened into focus and finally into reality. Through months of stockpiling children’s books, the staff had kept their lips sealed about the store. Rumors abounded about who had rented the space, a prominent piece of the Square puzzle. Finally, in mid-June, the store made its move. On the eve of the release of the fifth Harry Potter book, Square Books instructed its customers to report to the Big Store at 6 a.m., promising donuts and orange juice to

Left to right, Jill Moore is a fixture at Square Books Jr., leading story time, singing a round of “Old MacDonald” and appealing to the individual interests of young readers; Ganny’s Corner is one scene among many in the cozy store, designed to accommodate excited and curious children; Oxford party princess Kate Lechler is dressed as Elsa from “Frozen” and snaps pictures with kids on a wooden bench.

Owners Richard Howorth and Lynn Roberts wanted the store to be a different environment. “We knew things would get knocked around, some things would come up missing, but the most important thing was to create a friendly, open place,” says manager Jill Moore. And they did. Square Books Jr. is a place where everyone is moving.

kids dressed in their Hogwarts finest and adults still in their pajamas. Of course, when they arrived, they were puzzled to find the store closed with only a map left behind that led them on a scavenger hunt around the Square and finally to Square Books Jr. On that first day, only two booksellers, Katie and Yulanda Bishop, were there to work the floor. Moore came in a few weeks later and has been there ever since. “Right off the bat, the owners wanted the store to be a different environment,” Moore said. “We knew things would get knocked around, some things would come up missing, but the most important thing was

“A children’s bookstore had been in their hearts since the very beginning. But you have to remember, children’s bookstores are just now becoming kind of trendy. Back then , they were basically unheard of. ” -Jill Moore to create a friendly, open place.” And they did. Square Books Jr. is a place where everyone is moving. Moore describes it as a chaotic mess, but that’s what she loves about it. What makes Square Books Jr. tick is the staff. Their involvement is crucial in wading through the mountains of new material to decide what will ultimately make it to the shelves. Publishing houses send Square Books Jr. advance copies, which the staff passes out amongst themselves. When they think they might have something, they test it out on their customers.

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“What we end up stocking is a small, small percentage of what is published,” she said. “Every member of our staff brings a different area of expertise to the table.” It’s a fine mixture. Moore is challenged with balancing classics and new releases, entertaining current trends while anticipating what the next one will be. The Young Adult genre is a prime example. Since the success of Suzanne Collins’ “The Hunger Games” series, dystopian fiction has erupted with similar novels like James Dashner’s “Maze Runner” books. But in reaction to the sci-fi elements to such works, a counter-genre has emerged that tells stories that takes place in the real world. Novels like John Green’s “The Fault In Our Stars” are gaining popularity. “It all comes in cycles,” Moore said. “And if you think about it, the classic canon of books kids are asked to read in high school are actually pretty interesting. Think about ‘Lord of the Flies.’” The store has authors visiting constantly, and Moore said she has plenty of stories about how a meeting between a reader and an author can be life-changing. She recalls a reader who met Jay Asher, author of “Thirteen Reasons Why,” a book about a teen’s suicide that gave that reader the hope she needed to make it through her own struggle. Moore is no different. Her earliest memory of Square Books predates her time in Oxford by many years. It’s almost prophetic to hear her tell it now. “When I was 16, we took a field trip up to Oxford,” she said. “I remember, I stood on the steps and said, ‘If I could work for Square Books the rest of my life, that’d be alright.’” So, go see her. She’s got a book just for you. L WANT TO GO? Square Books Jr. at 160 Courthouse Square in Oxford is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. For specials, story time or other events, visit www.squarebooks.com/junior.

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Discover the dreamers who became legends. Imagine: The people, the places, the events that helped shape our nation. From Elvis to Howlin’ Wolf, from William Faulkner to Tennessee Williams. Major Civil War battle sites. Inspiring Civil Rights landmarks. Native American heritage stretching back before recorded history. In the Mississippi Hills, dreamers became legends. Imagine your time in the Hills. Start planning your itinerary today! www.mississippihills.org or stop by

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STORY FROM BENEDICT, LA.

Listen and You

SHALL ARRIVE A life of work and prayer at St. Joseph’s Abbey

By Meghan Holmes



Photographs by James Edward Bates and Chuck Cook

T “In his own life Benedict saw his death approaching and asked the monks to carry him to the church so he could receive communion, and then he died. His death was an act of faith and trusting his life to God. As a result, he is a patron saint for the dying and for understanding Christian death, and his medal has long been associated with blessing, especially the blessing of protection against the power of darkness and evil.” – Abbot Justin Brown

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o enter St. Joseph’s Abbey, visitors first cross a one-way bridge over the Bogue Falaya River. A tributary of the Tchefuncte, it meanders around the southern border of the property near Covington, Louisiana. Timber forests, which were once a profitable source of revenue for the monks there, surround the rest of the grounds. The stately external appearance of the Abbey’s church and grounds belies the flurry of activity taking place there. Work begins as early as 1 a.m. for the monks who bake bread. Each week, three monks and three volunteers bake almost 1,000 loaves for low income residents of New Orleans and the North Shore. Others are busy candle making, gardening, painting, bee keeping, or, making caskets. The monks of the seminary college turned to the ancient monastic practice after Hurricane Katrina left the trees of St. Tammany Parish “like falling match sticks,” says director of communications Sharon Calloway.

Abbot Justin Brown in the Woodworks shop of St. Joseph’s Abbey and Seminary College. The monks there hand craft caskets, bake bread for the needy, garden, gather honey and make candles. (Photograph by Chuck Cook)

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St. Joseph’s Woodworks Jeff Horchoff is a longtime volunteer who oversees the Abbey’s St. Joseph Woodworks and its recently established bee-keeping program. The Woodworks is run by 15 volunteers and two employees. “I think it’s a testimony to the monks’ faith in God,” he says. Inside the Woodworks, a bee vacuum cleaner and hive construction area occupy a small corner while the rest of the space holds caskets in various stages of production. Each worker has a different skill set, beginning with Joe Jarrell, who builds the boxes. “All monasteries make caskets for their monks, and Joe originally helped build the monk’s caskets,” Horchoff says. “When the idea was proposed to build caskets commercially, Joe was shifted into

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Woodworks.” Deacon Mark Coudrain, who serves as director of Woodworks, first proposed the idea of going commercial. “People would see the caskets during large funerals for monks and bishops and ask the Abbey if they could purchase one for themselves,” he says. Shortly after the monks began commercially constructing caskets, they received a letter from the Louisiana Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors. “They said it was illegal for us to sell caskets to Louisiana residents because we didn’t have a license from the board,” says Coudrain. “The Institute for Justice out of Washington, DC, agreed to represent us, and after seven years of trials and appeals, we won. “During that time there were a lot of ups and downs and a lot of

prayers,” he says. “We continued to build and sell caskets although it was technically illegal. Had we lost the trial, we faced fines and jail time, but we felt like it was the right thing to do to keep going. Monasteries in other parts of the country do this, and there was a need to generate revenue after Hurricane Katrina.” The venture is more about a ministry than making a profit, Horchoff says. “The people who purchase one of these products get the benefit of our prayers and that association with spirituality. Our work is an offering to God and as such it becomes prayer.” It is part of the principle that guides the monks’ daily life – the ora et labora – prayer and work found in the Rule of Benedict. Each casket contains a blessed medal of St. Benedict. On one side the medallion depicts the two attempts on Saint Benedict’s life using images of a cup and of a raven carrying bread. On the other side is the sign of the cross along with an exorcism blessing, he says. The medal’s exorcism blessing connects to the end of Benedict’s life. “In his own life Benedict saw his death approaching and asked the monks to carry him to the church so he could receive communion, and then he died,” says Abbot Justin Brown. “His death was an act of faith and trusting his life to God. As a result, he is a patron saint for the dying and for understanding Christian death and his medal has long been associated with blessing, especially the blessing of protection against the power of darkness and evil.” St. Benedict’s medal also plays an important role in the history of St. Joseph’s Abbey. One of the founding monks, Father Luke Gruwe, buried a medal beneath the first monastery at the end of the 19th century. The difficulties St. Benedict faced served as a guide to St. Joseph’s first monks, who faced many trials following their arrival in southern Louisiana.

Pennies for Bread The air between the kitchen and the Woodwooks smells like a fine blend of just baked bread and freshly cut wood. “Jesus says feed the poor, and that’s what we do,” says Brother Raphael Broussard, who has worked with the Abbey’s Pennies for Bread program since its inception in 1990. “I’m very tired when I walk back to the house, but I’m glad I did it. We don’t do it as fast as Jesus, but we do multiply the bread,” he laughs. “By profession I’m a nurse, so I’ve always been helping people. That’s been my life’s work.” Brother Killian Tolg began baking bread when he arrived at the Abbey 15 years ago. “We follow the Rule of St. Benedict, which especially considers the poor. Everyone is Jesus Christ. This is an extension of that; it’s a part of our order,” he says. “We start the process with mixing. Then we cut up the dough and wait for it to rise. Once it bakes and comes out the whole process starts again,” Broussard says. “What I find most gratifying is that when the

Opposite, top: Volunteer Jeff Horchoff sands a casket at Saint Joseph Woodworks. The Woodworks is run by 15 volunteers and two employees. Opposite bottom, left to right: This medallion is placed on each casket built by Saint Joseph Woodworks. The medal’s exorcism blessing connects to the end of Benedict’s life. “In his own life Benedict saw his death approaching and asked the monks to carry him to the church so he could receive communion, and then he died,” says Abbot Justin Brown. • Father Michael Jung works with the lining material for a casket. • The monks began constructing the caskets after people would see them during large funerals for monks and bishops and ask the Abbey if they could purchase one for themselves. Above, top to bottom: Volunteer Murphy Majoria prepares bread for the ovens. The Abbey makes almost 1,000 loaves of bread each week for the poor. • Volunteers slice and bag fresh bread. • Sisters hold gifts of prized honey and fresh bread. READLEGENDS.COM •

bread leaves here, we know we have helped poor people who have nothing to eat.” Roger Nagy has volunteered for 15 years. “You come here, and first of all you’re doing manual labor. There’s something about being able to put your hands in the dough. You also know that what you do today is going to feed people this week. There’s a direct relationship between your work and helping hungry people.” During the breaks, in the waiting for the bread to rise and the baking, the men talk of upcoming events, football and food. The conversation is punctuated by bites of freshly baked bread topped with hogshead cheese. (The cheese is courtesy of volunteer Murphy Majoria, who supplies the delicacy commercially produced by his brother.) In addition to Broussard, Tolg, Majoria and Nagy, volunteer Guy Chiapetta and Brother George Weaver complete the team of six men who bake the week’s supply. “Brother Killian told me we can’t have too many volunteers or people won’t be able to move around,” Calloway says. Of the two rooms in the small building, one stores the baked bread while the other serves as the kitchen. Next to row after row of neatly stored loaves sits a list of how much bread will be delivered to each organization the program serves. “Some organizations get ten loaves, and some get 100, but it’s all eaten quickly,” says Broussard. “This week we will be delivering to around 20 different groups including food banks, senior centers, the Salvation Army, New Orleans Ministries and Our Lady of Perpetual Help.” By 7:30 a.m. the bread is baked. It cools for two hours until Knights of Columbus volunteers arrive to slice and bag the loaves. “We eat some good stuff over here. This hogshead cheese has been around southern Louisiana for over 100 years,” says Majoria. It’s likely the Benedictine monks from the late 20th century enjoyed the same treat.

Celebrating 125 years In 1890 four German monks arrived in present-day Ponchatoula from Indiana. “The period from 1890-1903 was one of the worst agriculturally for this part of the state. There were hard freezes, heavy rains, malaria outbreaks and fear that nearby wetlands harbored ‘bad humors’,” says Kit Friedrish-Baumann, director of marketing and events for the Abbey. “Because of these issues and because they wanted to be closer to New Orleans the monks relocated

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to their current location near Covington in 1902. “Before the monks bought the land it was a rice plantation,” says Friedrish-Baumann. “They built quickly and they didn’t season the wood. In 1907 there was a fire and it spread incredibly quickly because of the sappy, unseasoned cypress. A monk, Frater Joseph Busch, died saving books from the library. He saved an ancient copy of the Rule of Benedict which remains in the monastic library. In addition to the books, the only thing which remains after the fire is a cast iron statue of St. Joseph, erected at the original site near Ponchatoula.” The monks decided to rebuild despite their lack of funds and credit, and businessmen stepped forward to fund the project. Their individual talents and training prior to taking monastic vows also served them well, with past professional fields including architecture, construction and farming. Over the course of the 20th century, the monastery continued to grow. A church was constructed in 1932, and in 1946 painter Dom Gregory DeWit arrived to paint both the refectory and the church walls. DeWit’s paintings remain brilliant after almost 70 years. “He mixed his own paints to cope with the Louisiana heat and humidity, and as a result they have withstood numerous hurricanes and other natural disasters,” says Friedrish-Baumann. The interior entrance of the refectory features a large depiction of St. Benedict holding his Rule in the left hand and a staff in the other. The book’s left page says “listen” while the right says “you shall arrive,” the first and last words of the Rule of Benedict. In October, the Abbey celebrated its 125th anniversary with a mass including the Archbishop of New Orleans and the Archabbot from St. Meinrad Abbey in Indiana whose monks founded St. Joseph’s. “Monasteries are very much like families,” says Brown. “There’s a genealogy going back to the various monasteries that founded you along the way. We’ve been celebrating with different events all year, but this mass offered a time to bring together people who have been part of the history and the life of the Abbey.” L WANT TO KNOW MORE? St. Joseph’s Abbey has been a part of the North Shore community for more than 100 years. Honey, candles and caskets are available for purchase on its website, and the monks also offer tours as well as daily mass which is open to the public. For more information, visit www.saintjosephabbey.com.

The Abbey features the paintings of artist Dom Gregory DeWit, whose works remain brilliant after almost 70 years. According to the Abbey’s marketing director, DeWit mixed his own paints to cope with the Louisiana heat and humidity, and as a result they have withstood numerous hurricanes and other natural disasters. The interior entrance of the refectory features a large depiction of St. Benedict holding his Rule in the left hand and a staff in the other. The book’s left page says “listen” while the right says “you shall arrive,” the first and last words of the Rule of Benedict.

STORY FROM PASCAGOULA, MISS.

A SINGLE PINK ROSE Mississippi blues artist Libby Rae Watson BY STEPHEN CORBETT | PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARIANNE TODD

ibby Rae Watson looks comfortable on the aging front porch of an outbuilding on her sister’s Jackson property. Leaning against the whitewashed wall, she picks her guitar with precision. Extending from its neck is a single pink rose. The Pascagoula-based artist keeps it there as a reminder of blues legend Sam Chatmon of the Mississippi Shieks who, with his generosity and friendship, helped her develop a distinctive sound. “I still go by the cemetery whenever I’m near Hollandale to check on him, clean his grave, put new pink roses out. Sam had a pink rose on the headstock of his guitar. When he died, I had a single pink rose that I had planned to toss in the grave. In my grief, I forgot to toss it. The logical thing to do was put it on my guitar. I still have a pink rose on my headstock. I’m working on the fourth one now.” In an era where music critics commonly bemoan the future of “popular” music, citing a disconnection from its roots as the main culprit, Watson gives a definite nod to the roots of her genre. She carries the torch for pre war Mississippi blues into the new millennium. Most recently, she took top honors at an Indianola, Mississippi, blues challenge and will compete again this year for International Blues Challenge honors in Memphis. Last year, she took runner up. Watson’s latest release, a collaboration with music partners Wes Lee and Rambling Steve Gardner, consists mostly of post-war blues covers and features one original tune from Lee and two from Steber. Watson is accumulating some originals she plans to record on her next solo effort. According to Steber, she makes the cover songs her own. “Libby Rae flips these old songs and flips the gender, and women go nuts,” he said. “A lot of these old songs were done by guys who are gone now, and they are about women who have done them wrong. It’s a thrill to see Libby Rae turn them around. She does it with joy and fervor and just lights up the room.” While blues music may not have been her earliest influence, it cut the deepest and had the most impact on her. “I grew up near George Washington Carver High School in Picayune, Mississippi – it was a black school then, and there was a black church

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just down the street,” Watson said. “I would listen to the Carver High Hornets band practice and the music that came from that church. Growing up in the Presbyterian church, I was captivated by the sounds that rung from that little black church down the street. Very different from my church … and I liked it. I wanted to go see what was happening in there. Sounded much more exciting.” In high school, Watson joined the band as a flautist. She eventually learned how to play ukulele and classical guitar. On her own, she played primarily folk-based music, until the day she found a blues songbook that changed her course. “We had a music store in town where I bought a book of songs. The photos of old blues men and the song titles were fabulous. The cover had that iconic photo of Son House taken by Dick Waterman. Songs inside the book were songs by Mississippi John Hurt, Bukka White and others. This was the real turning point for me. What I didn’t know, and didn’t find out until much later in my life, was that a lot of those blues men were still alive.” One of those blues men was Sam Chatmon of the Mississippi Sheiks, who took a young Watson under his wing and became her mentor. “I first met Sam by driving up to his house in Hollandale. I asked him when his birthday was, and it was five days after mine. The two of us clicked right off the bat after that. He was special and I knew it.” Their friendship lasted until Chatmon died in 1983 at the age of 86. His influence can still be heard in Watson’s guitar playing and her song selections – both originals and covers. When trying times hit, Watson shied away from performing. “I was in a band called the Liberators that died. My dad got sick. A close friend of mine got murdered. Then hurricane Katrina happened. All of this was within a five year span,” she said. “During this time, I didn’t play out for about 10 years. I didn’t even pick up a guitar for a long while.” Roy Schilling, who organizes the annual Sam Chatmon Blues Festival in Hollandale, arranged to get Watson back on the stage. It didn’t take long to ignite her passion to perform. She resumed touring and then

Musician Libby Rae Watson is headed to the International Blues Challenge after taking top honors at the Indianola, Miss., blues challenge. The Pascagoula artist, having studied with a variety of Mississippiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most notable blues men, carries the torch for pre war blues.

Left, a collage of photographs Watson has collected through the years -- Sam Chatmon, Muddy Waters and Bob Dylan are among the lot. Center, one of Watson’s guitar cases, colorfully decorated with blues stickers and pictures. Right, Watson strolling on her sister’s Jackson property while on a break from touring.

released her first solo effort, “Sweet ‘n’ Salty” in 2013. “‘Sweet ‘n’ Salty’ was done in a flash,” Watson said. “I needed a CD for my tour in Canada, and in short order. I had some analog tapes of old recordings I had done 30 years ago. They not only were old but they had been submerged in saltwater during Hurricane Katrina. My friend, Jim Lancaster from Playground Recording Studio, helped me transfer those tapes to a digital format and we tweaked what we could. It came out pretty cool. Sounds like it’s an old 78.” Given the nature of Watson’s playing and singing style, the vintage sound of “Sweet ‘n’ Salty” could not have been more appropriate. “The first time I saw Libby Rae was at the Sam Chatmon tombstone dedication,” says Steber. “I had been aware of her for a long time, but that was the first time I met her. She has a lot of power in a tiny package. She probably weighs about 100 pounds soaking wet, but she has this strong, confident voice and a huge guitar style.” Watson and Steber, who sometimes performs as Hambone Willie Nevil, hit it off and formed not only a strong friendship, but a strong professional relationship as well. “I study how she plays,” Steber said. “And she is one hell of a singer. I sing better with her than anyone.” Watson and Steber spent a good portion of the summer touring with Gardner and Lee as The Acoustic House Party & Traveling Road Show. The collective group has been in the studio working on the new release, tentatively titled “Times Ain’t Like They Used to Be.” “We’ve been poor individually – now we can be poor together,” Steber laughed about the tour. “We are quite a sight: three middle aged white guys with facial hair and a pretty girl with a beautiful voice.” During the recording sessions Watson fell ill. She refused to be sidelined. “She was so sick that she would just lay on the couch and still sing flawlessly,” Steber says. “We call her One-Take Libby Rae. She just naturally knows what to do. I have a fairly deep voice, but I ended up taking

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some of the high harmonies because she was sick. It actually worked perfectly.” The project is a mixture of solo vocal performances and collaborative efforts. Some of the featured songs include covers of Mississippi Fred McDowell’s “You Gotta Move” and Louis Jordan’s “Is You Is or Is You Ain’t My Baby.” “These are songs we did on the tour – the hotter songs we did,” Watson said. “It started out as a package to tell people this is what we sound like. It was originally just going to be four songs, then it just took off from there.” Watson is hoping to have her next solo release out in 2015 with a mix of solo songs and songs with other musicians. “I am just going to do what the song needs,” Watson said. “Some songs don’t require much. Just because you can add more to a song doesn’t mean that it needs it. Plus, I need to be able to do these songs by myself if I need to. So there will be no 12-bar rocking ass blues on the album.” Despite the inclusion of more original material into her repertoire, Watson has no plan of abandoning the songs of her influences – with most of whom she ultimately became friends. “I still play a lot of Sam’s songs to keep him alive,” she says. “A lot of people will cover songs and not tell the audience who originally did it. I always tell people where they came from, so that they can check out all of these great artists. You to need to know the roots of what you’re listening to.” L WANT TO KNOW MORE? More information on the forthcoming release from The Acoustic House Party & Traveling Road Show and scheduled live performances can be found at www.bluzzz2u.wix.com/acoustic-house-party.

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STORY FROM ST. BERNARD PARISH, LA.

A PERILOUS JOURNEY

THE LIFE OF A LOUISIANA OYSTER By Meghan Holmes Photography by James Edward Bates

ysters begin their precarious lives as fertilized eggs, floating through estuaries at the behest of tidal currents and winds. Within a day these eggs become larvae, searching for a hard surface to which to attach, unable to move unless an outside force disturbs them. A gregarious animal, they prefer a permanent home where other oysters surround them, most typically reefs made up of old shells, rocks and oysters in various stages of growth. The spat (attached larvae) form hard outer shells quickly while filtering plankton from nearby water for food. Surrounding adult oysters provide some protection from predators, although black drum, mollusks and crabs still feed on some larvae. In addition to natural predators, Eastern oysters face a myriad other obstacles preventing them from reaching maturity including changes in salinity, pollution, habitat loss, natural disasters and commercial harvesting. The oyster has stoically faced these threats for millennia, thriving despite temporary population decreases following tropical storms, floods, disease and predation. The location of oyster reefs within the marshes of

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southern Louisiana partially dictated the location of early settlements in the area. Ethnic communities of fisherman developed along the bayous surrounding the Mississippi River as it meets the Gulf, where warm brackish water provides the Eastern oyster with an ideal habitat. In one of these communities, Yscloskey, George Barisich docks his oyster and shrimp boats along the edge of Half Shell Bayou. His oyster reefs rest in privately leased waters nearby. The majority of oysters harvested in Louisiana come from private grounds, with public areas opening seasonally to supply spat for private reefs. This year, the opening of some public reefs in the area has been delayed following concern over low levels of oyster growth and spat formation. As Barisich pilots his boat toward the reefs, he crosses the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO) canal, a channel connecting the river to the Gulf. Built in the 1960s, it allows commercial traffic to circumvent the river’s final twists and turns. Originally 200 feet wide, it currently spans about 200 meters. “My father was also a fisherman; he protested the construction of the MRGO and said, ‘If you build this here

George Barisich docks his oyster and shrimp boats along the edge of Half Shell Bayou. His oyster reefs rest in privately leased waters nearby. Natural and man made disasters have hindered the harvesting of the succulent creatures, which remain a favorite delicacy on Southern plates.

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George Barisich harvests oysters in his boat “Death of Me Yet” on Bayou Yscloskey in Yscloskey, Louisiana. Fishermen have been challenged during a declining oyster harvest. Hopes are that the restoration of the Mississippi River/Gulf channel coupled with the building up of reefs will encourage spat formation.

we’re going to drown like rats.’ It took 40 years but then 113 people did water killed many mature oysters. drown in St. Bernard parish during Katrina,” he says. “The canal fun Barisich says that when the remaining oysters spawned following the neled a 20-foot storm surge into St. Bernard and New Orleans. spill, the combination of oil and dispersants on reefs inhibited spat for “The MRGO is man made. It has dramatically increased erosion mation. “Spat are forming on new rocks that we put out. The old rocks and led to salt water intrusion, which has killed the cypress swamps. are contaminated; they’re slimy,” he says. This used to all be land.” He pauses, gesturing to the widened waterway “The state has put in some rock but it’s only 240 acres out of over and the bayous intermittently intersecting it. “We’ve had so much water 300,000 acres of state land. The state grounds have 90 percent less come in so quick and oysters can’t survive those kind of changes in salinoysters as a result. My private lease is 93 percent off. When I used to ity.” work these grounds we’d make 100“Oysters were like a bank, waiting, and they would The MRGO is one of many re110 sacks by 2 p.m., but now you’re cently built canals impacting the make up 40 to 60 percent of my income depending on lucky if you get two sacks all day the year. I don’t have my bank anymore. People that oyster’s habitat. Other canals lead to since 2010.” rebuilt their own reefs have seen success, and some offshore drilling platforms. Others “Oysters were like a bank, waitof them have made a lot of money as a result because ing, and they would make up 40 to connect lakes and rivers. Surroundprices are high. I put down 400 tons of brick and I’m 60 percent of my income depending ing these networks, highways and hoping that takes.” – George Barisich bridges disappear into ever-growing on the year. I don’t have my bank expanses of water. The process of anymore. People that rebuilt their natural land building from sediment traveling down the Mississippi own reefs have seen success, and some of them have made a lot of money River has been largely stopped with the river’s channelization and dredgas a result because prices are high. I put down 400 tons of brick and I’m ing, resulting in an ever increasing encroachment of seawater into southhoping that takes.” ern Louisiana over the last half century. As George pilots his boat back through the bayou, he passes another Gulf oysters also experienced dramatic changes in habitat following fisherman docking for the day. “I got fifteen oysters; you want ‘em?” He the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and the flooding of the Missislaughs, and the other man doesn’t respond. sippi River in 2010 and 2011. The Army Corps of Engineers opened That same day in nearby Violet, Marty Melerine shucks oysters at the several diversions along the river to lower rising waters in an attempt to 30th Annual Violet Oyster Festival. Melerine supplied more than 150 push oil-contaminated seawater from the coastline. The influx of freshsacks of oysters to be grilled and served raw at this year’s event. (Each

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bag contains between 12-22 dozen, depending on the size). “These oysters came from a private lease in the Biloxi marsh,” he says. “In the past there were more oyster fisherman so everyone would bring five or 10 sacks, and then we’d have a whole truck full. Since BP we don’t have as many oyster men. People who could invest in concrete and rebuild their reefs and wait are doing better than they ever did because prices are high, but the industry as a whole has suffered because a lot of people can’t make a living at it now. “Before the spill, oysters grew on natural reefs made from shells, but dispersant contaminated the reefs. We threw concrete on the reefs,” he says, “If you don’t put out the concrete you won’t have oysters.” BP disagrees with the observations of the oyster men in St. Bernard and points to Mississippi freshwater diversions following the spill as one source of decreases in oyster populations. Recent research into the environmental impact of the oil spill remains connected to ongoing litigation, but could be released to the public following the start of the third and final phase of a civil trial beginning in January. “I see a smaller industry in the future,” says Melerine. “I just don’t see it coming back to be honest, and that’s the sad thing. My family settled here in the late 18th century and 225 years later we are losing our way to make a living. My sons will go to college and do something else. They say it’s hard and it is, but I love what I do and that makes it easy. It’s our way of life.” He looks around the tent as he says this, his eyes resting on a flat screen television. It’s the third quarter and the Saints are beating the Lions, but it’s close. This distracts a lot of the men as they shuck, as well as the women behind them spooning hot butter and garlic from a crockpot onto raw oysters for grilling. In a tent nearby, Christine Tabony watches oysters fry. Her sons, daughters and family friends surround her, battering and deep frying hundreds of oysters and shrimp for po boys and plates sold at the festival. “You never know what’s going to sell,” she says. This is an oyster festival and sometimes it’s a lot of oysters, but sometimes it’s shrimp.” She laughs. “Everything we do is homemade, but we do get our oysters already shucked. They’re from Mississippi. We just don’t have time to shuck all those oysters before we batter and fry them.” As Tabony finishes explaining the genealogical connections between everyone in front of the fryers the final seconds tick off the clock of the Saints game. The Lions have won. There’s a larger flat screen television in this tent, which Christine’s son turns off abruptly. “At the end of the game we get slammed,” says Christine, watching prep cooks pull oysters from gallon sized plastic containers and drop them into a cornmeal mixture for battering. Each gallon represents dozens of perilous journeys across a marsh, into a boat and onto a plate. If they make it that far, they deserve to be celebrated. L Gulf oysters experienced dramatic changes in habitat following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and the flooding of the Mississippi River in 2010 and 2011. The Army Corps of Engineers opened several diversions along the river to lower rising waters in an attempt to push oil contaminated seawater from the coastline. The influx of freshwater killed many mature oysters. Oyster fishermen who invested in concrete, rebuilt their reefs and waited are doing well as demand remains high.

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STORY FROM JACKSON, MISS.

THE BIG TENT OF THE

ART SPIRIT Spanish Sojourns to the Mississippi Story

by julian rankin

ississippian Willie Morris, in his memoir “North Toward Home,” shows us that sometimes it is in departing our native soil that we come to know it and ourselves better. It is true in art, too, that the people and places that might seem on the surface alien and unmapped are in fact part of a collective experience, a shared humanity as familiar as the back sides of our hands. It becomes, as artist Jason Bouldin says, “universal by way of the specific.” There was once a painter named Robert Henri (pronounced hen-rye). You might never have heard of him. He lived from 1865 to 1929 and was a leader in the Ashcan school of realist painting. In addition to being an exceptional painter in his own right, he is one of the most important teachers in the history of American art. He has no apparent connection to Mississippi. None at all. He comes, in fact, from Nebraska, a state that, save from its agricultural traditions of John Deere and its obsession with college football, is as separate from the Magnolia state as any other. Still, Henri’s artwork has resonance to this place. Two partner Henri exhibitions, Spanish Sojourns: “Robert Henri and the Spirit of Spain” and “Robert Henri and Spain, Face to Face,” full of Spanish bull fighters and dancers and gypsies painted while traveling abroad, hang in the galleries at the Mississippi Museum of Art. They are but a stone’s throw away (though those in museums ought never throw stones) from The Mississippi Story permanent exhibition that explores the cultural life

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of the state through the visual media of its people. Back to Bouldin, who talks of those conduits of the particular that reveal the cosmic singularity. “What Henri was doing was painting humanity. He found it in the way people lived their lives in Spain. It’s the same thing, not just in my portraiture, but in all the images of people in “The Mississippi Story,’” says Bouldin. “Marie Hull’s sharecroppers, for example,” he says, referencing the work of one of the state’s most celebrated artists. Henri’s legacy of teaching lives on in his widely circulated book, “The Art Spirit,” originally published in 1923. “Art,” Henri writes in the book’s first sentence, “is the province of every human being.” In his Oxford studio, Bouldin, a son of Clarksdale, Mississippi, flips through his copy of “The Art Spirit.” He has not read it in many years, but he knows it. He knows it through his teacher, his late father and renowned portrait painter Marshall Bouldin whose paintings are prized in hundreds of collections and whose brush has immortalized countless figures of all walks. “Every page I flipped,” Bouldin says, “I could feel daddy. Everything in Henri’s book I could hear in daddy’s voice. It’s the same spirit.” Henri’s paintings will not be on view for long. They come down in early January. The connection between the Mississippi art in the museum’s permanent collection, grounded in a very specific place, and the changing exhibitions that come from near and far, and recent and

A portrait of Capt. Jimmy Allgood, Lafayette County Fire Department, 2002, by Jason Bouldin of Oxford, Miss. Oil on canvas. Like Robert Henri, whose paintings are also currently on exhibit at the Mississippi Museum of Art, Bouldin captures the essence of a subject, rather than a detailed, rigid description.

long ago, will remain. They share a fundamental truth. Distilling into tangible form that which is ethereal and fleeting. Bouldin is a realist painter, like Henri was. Like Henri, his stated goal is not to achieve some exact likeness, some police-report physical description, but rather to get to the essence – to put the viewer in the same room as the subject and the painter. A love triangle, Bouldin calls it, where one is not standing before a two dimensional frame, but looking over the shoulder of the maker, communing in that preserved moment of creative expression. His is trying to bring the viewer and the subject face to face, to step away, and “let them talk amongst themselves.” Henri and Bouldin are logical counterparts. Had Henri existed in this time, he might have been drawn to some of the same types of people as Bouldin – the Mississippi firefighter Jimmy Allgood in full regalia; an inquisitive young Southern girl; the Civil Rights hero and heroine Medgar and Myrlie Evers. But even beyond this shared vein of portraiture, the art spirit connects any creative pursuit that we might call divinely inspired. The untrained outsider art equal alongside the formal landscape. The lion with the lamb. “They both get at something of the truth. We can be inspired by a Gregorian chant but we can also be inspired by a black church choir,” Bouldin articulates. “They both have something of the same subject matter but they are approaching it in different ways. Every artist, whether they’re dealing in the visual arts or not, bears witness, like William Faulkner did, to what they know. In ecclesiastical terms, we would say

that the things that come out of that have been made manifest. “Flannery O’Connor called her writing incarnational writing,” he continues, “meaning that the spirit and the body are joined together into one. Using the material world to express this spiritual side, this intangible side. We recognize it not only in the style of painting that Henri did, but in folk art or literature or in good advertising driving down highway 55.” I know a man, retired, who has lived his entire life loving and appreciating art. And yet only just recently, while standing alone in a portrait gallery, did the true power of that creation wash over him. The faces looked back, real pigmented people. In that moment, they, and he, were alive. “Henri was excited by life,” reflects Bouldin. “He was intoxicated with existence and he believed that his art would be the natural outgrowth of a good existence.” Henri’s words, back on page one of “The Art Spirit,” are that art “is simply a question of doing things, anything, well.” “Or as my daddy would say,” says Bouldin, “you don’t have to be somebody who sculpts or uses a paintbrush to be an artist.” L WANT TO GO? Information about the Mississippi Museum of Art’s current and upcoming exhibitions are available at www.msmuseumart.org.

Left, Robert Henri (1865-1929), The Green Fan (Girl of Toledo, Spain), 1912. Oil on canvas. Henri was a realist painter, “Henri was excited by life,” says Oxford artist Jason Bouldin. “He was intoxicated with existence and he believed that his art would be the natural outgrowth of a good existence.” Right, Henri and Bouldin are logical counterparts. Had Henri existed in this time, he might have been drawn to some of the same types of people as Bouldin – the Mississippi firefighter Jimmy Allgood in full regalia; an inquisitive young Southern girl; the Civil Rights hero and heroine Medgar and Myrlie Evers.

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STORY FROM MERIDIAN, JACKSON AND CLEVELAND, MISS.

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aul Ott is conviced the Mississippi Arts & Entertainment Center will one day rival the Oscars and the Kennedy Center Honors for national attention. The host of the popular “Listen to the Eagle” outdoors program, said when Mississippi’s legendary entertainers are inducted into the forthcoming museum (the MAEC), the spotlight will turn to the state-of-the-art Meridian-based facility designed to showcase the best entertainers, artists, writers and chefs Mississippi has to offer. And like death and taxes, Ott knows of two other sure bets – there’s no shortage of Mississippi entertainers, and once built, the MAEC will be one of the nation’s glistening gems, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors each year along the I-20/59 corridor. In fact, he knows it like he knows the sun will come up tomorrow. “You can’t put a value on the publicity we’ll get,” said Ott, a member of the MAEC board of directors and a consummate cheerleader for the state. “We want to brand east Mississippi as the entertainment hotbed of the state, but this is a Mississippi project, not just a Meridian project, just as Jimmie Rodgers is the father of music – not just country music.” The MAEC is set to open its doors in fall 2017 to coincide with the state’s bicentennial celebration. Executive Director Marty Gamblin and board of directors President Tommy Dulaney both see the museum as an opportunity to teach the rest of the world that there’s another side to Mississippi, one that has birthed a wealth of talent and transformed lives. The Center will no doubt inspire people, said Dulaney, president and CEO of Structural Steel in Meridian and a former president of the Mississippi Economic Council. “The artists they will meet at the MAEC may have stories much like their own, but through perseverance, hard work, struggles and talent they changed their own lives and made indelible footprints throughout the world. “There aren’t many who haven’t heard of Elvis Presley and know his story, or that of Eudora Welty. But there are many unsung artisans, who through sheer grit may not be on center stage, but found a pathway to a career and a good life which they share with us in food, a painting, a written song, a play or a noteworthy building or design that betters our own.” Plans for the museum didn’t crystallize overnight. The MAEC committee began their work and research in 1998, which led to The Stennis Institute at Mississippi State University putting together a feasibility and site selection report which was financed by the Mississippi Development Authority. Although Jackson was given the nod over Meridian when it came to a location, the capital city could not agree on a specific site to offer – while Meridian (at the time) promised the Bonita Lakes area. A bill passed by the state legislature and signed into law by Gov. Haley Barbour in 2001 cleared the way for MAEC construction, but

Set to open in the fall of 2017, the Mississippi Arts & Entertainment Center is the first of its kind. Boasting Mississippi artists in the fields of music, performance art, visual art, literary art, culinary art and more, the center serves to educate and inspire. In the top photo, visitors can, with the wave of a hand, see how Mississippi artists have impacted the world. Center and below, the museum will house a history of the lives and influences, hardships and successes of artists who call Mississippi home.

plans were put on hold for several years when planning costs spiraled out of control. A major turning point was when Gamblin, who spent almost 40 years in music management and publishing in Los Angeles and Nashville, returned to Mississippi in 2003 to join the Board. He became executive director in 2010. “Despite the setbacks – as is often the case – it proved best in the READLEGENDS.COM •

Expecting more than 100,000 visitors each year, the Civil Rights Museum in Jackson is set to open on Mississippi’s bicentennial, Dec. 10, 2017. The $90 million project will feature Mississippi’s struggle for equality through interviews with surviving civil rights leaders. It is hoped the museum will be the flagship of the renovated Farish Street district and newly restored downtown Jackson.

long run because initially the vision of the project was limited to a museum and Hall of Fame,” Gamblin said. “While we still refer to the project as the MAEC, we consider it to be the ultimate arts and entertainment experience. After a few years of research and development, this magnificent statewide project has evolved into a world-class experience to be enjoyed only in Mississippi.” Planned at the corner of Front Street and 22nd Avenue in downtown Meridian, the MAEC is expected to cost $45 million when complete and will encompass 58,500 square feet, including 22,000 square feet of exhibition space. Gamblin said the exhibitions will be organized around five themes: land, home, community, church and people. “The influence and interrelationship of these themes will be presented through the use of engaging, interactive technology and other interpretive techniques,” he said. “The stories and individual themes will be brought together in a global community gallery, which shows how Mississippians influenced the arts globally. “The overall concept and visitor experience (is this): While the MAEC will honor artists and their work, perhaps the most exciting component is its educational value (in) inspiring and empowering tomorrow’s artists. To that end, collections and displays will emphasize works in progress, highlighting the process of creation – rather than just the polished result.” Dulaney points to an economic study which concluded that there’s nothing quite like the MAEC throughout the world. Estimates are for

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as many as 165,000 visitors to stop in each year, and he expects many to want to visit other creative venues around the state (such as the B.B. King Museum in Indianola) and increase even further the tourism dollars that will be spent in Mississippi. “In anticipation of the opening of the MAEC, new restaurants are starting up and four new hotels are slated, with one nearing completion,” he said. “There is already talk of additional retail venues as well, and downtown re-development is already underway.” “An important part of our message is that artistry requires talent, dedication and effort, and that young visitors should not despair simply because their first efforts may be rough,” Gamblin said. “We want Mississippians to recognize great achievements in their midst and appreciate their heritage, but to also recognize possibilities and potential in themselves.”

Civil Rights It isn’t an exaggeration to call Jeanne Luckett of Jackson a pioneer in the Mississippi Civil Rights movement. She was in her freshman year at Millsaps College in 1962 when rioting took place at The University of Mississippi over the admission of James Meredith. A year later, Medgar Evers was murdered, but Luckett looks back at a decision made by her church as the turning point in her life. “A group from Tougaloo College, led by the Rev. Ed King, attempt-

“

Civil rights belong to all of us and so does the history of the struggle for equality and justice in Mississippi. We all must have a better understanding of what has shaped race relations in Mississippi and what will mark our future.” —Jeanne Luckett

ed to come one Sunday to the First Christian Church where my family attended,” she said. “Tougaloo was a mission of our church, but they were turned away. I could not reconcile the fact that students from a college our church supported could not attend the church. Professors and classes that I had at Millsaps helped me question topics regarding race and social justice that I had not really thought would affect me directly. I will always be grateful for that experience.” Luckett, like the Freedom Riders and others who fought against the deeply-entrenched racism of that era, view the forthcoming Civil Rights Museum with overwhelming gratitude. The museum is set to open on Mississippi’s bicentennial, Dec. 10, 2017. “It’s an inspirational story that needs to be shared,” said Jacqueline Dace, project manager for the Civil Rights Museum and for this Mississippi History Museum, which will open under the same roof next to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. “Civil Rights veterans are adamant that we share our history inter-generationally,” Dace said. “I anticipate a significant amount of national and international tourism. The hope is that it will draw more visitors to Mississippi, and we will be encouraging tourists to visit other civil rights sites to get more of the story. We hope people will plan a weekend to travel to Ruleville to see the Fannie Lou Hamer exhibit and to Philadelphia to see the exhibit dedicated to Chaney, Goodman and Schwerner.” Luckett’s son, Robert Luckett, is an assistant professor of history and director of the Margaret Walker Center at Jackson State University. He predicts a steady stream of visitors to the museum, which he says should translate into strong economic growth for the capital city. “On the low end, my personal estimation is that the museum can expect between 100,000 and 150,000 visitors per year, especially when compared to similar museums in Memphis and Birmingham, which draw close to 200,000 per year,” Robert Luckett said. “When those visitors leave the museum they are going to want to eat in local restaurants and stay in local hotels. If they are at the civil rights museum they will clearly be interested in other cultural heritage tourism sites, and music venues should benefit greatly. “In my mind, I think this will be the beginning of a snowball READLEGENDS.COM •

effect that will see Farish Street finally take off, the completion of the long-awaited convention center hotels and the rejuvenation of downtown Jackson,” he said. The State of Mississippi is funding the project, the cost of which is estimated at $90 million. A capital campaign will continue until the museum opens its doors, and interested donors can call MDAH at (601) 576-6850. The Kellogg Foundation recently pledged $2.3 million for educational programming, and a partnership between the Winter Institute and the Myrlie & Medgar Evers Institute will raise funds for educational programming as well. “The museum, when open, will feature videos of interviews with surviving civil rights leaders that were filmed at Tougaloo College during the Freedom Summer 50th Anniversary activities earlier this year,” Dace said. “They will be played at every opportunity, and you will hear them telling their stories.” “Civil rights belong to all of us and so does the history of the struggle for equality and justice in Mississippi,” Jeanne Luckett said. “We all

must have a better understanding of what has shaped race relations in Mississippi and what will mark our future. I am so enthusiastic about the prospects for the new museum in helping young people grasp the importance of the issues it will help us all understand.”

At the Grammys Music fans have flocked to the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles over the years to see the fascinating exhibits that pay tribute to their musical heroes. What is astonishing about is how many of those household names are from Mississippi. Elvis Presley, Jimmie Rodgers, B.B. King, Faith Hill, Jimmy Buffett, Tammy Wynette, Sam Cooke and John Lee Hooker are just a few of Mississippi’s contributions to the American soundtrack. More than 1,800 miles away, the Magnolia State’s rich musical legacy is about to be amplified in a brave, new way that promises countless tourists to the Delta. The Mississippi Grammy Museum, a satellite venue that will replicate the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, will open in the fall 2015 on the old golf course at Delta State University. “It’s an $18-20 million dollar project and is on schedule. Concrete has been poured, steel is in the ground, and exhibit fabrication is under contract,” said Allan Hammons, project consultant and president of The Mississippi Grammy Museum, scheduled to open in the fall of 2015, will replicate the popular Grammy Museum in Los Angeles. Located in Cleveland, Miss., construction has already begun on the museum, which is expected to draw visitors from around the globe.

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Hammons and Associates in Greenwood. “The city of Cleveland has donated $3 million. Bolivar County has put up a million, and close to $2 million has come from local donors. That’s one-third local investment right there.” Hammons is on the board of directors for the B.B. King Museum in nearby Indianola and was heavily involved in its development. He also played a large part of the Mississippi Blues Trail markers project and the Mississippi Country Music Trail markers project. He said that while the Los Angeles museum will manage the Cleveland operation, it will be up to people in and around Mississippi to make it a success. “It’s easy to build something, but the tough part is keeping it going,” Hammons said. “We try very hard not to overbuild. Otherwise you’re looking at higher monthly utility costs, insurance and staff costs. It will be 28,000 square feet and very much like the King Museum in that it will be used for many special events – local events, national events and a tour bus destination.” Lucy Janoush is the president of the Cleveland Music Foundation, the non-profit organization that is building the museum. Janoush sees the museum as a chance to share the state’s legendary musical heritage with thousands of future Delta State University students. She also acknowledges the museum as an example of the creative economy at work in Mississippi – a positive economic driver for Cleveland and the surrounding area. “I’ve always believed that if you build it, they will come,” Janoush said. “I expect a couple of new restaurants and a hotel to open, and there has been renovation to one of the existing shopping centers with new businesses opening in it. Seven new restaurants opened in Indianola after the King Museum opened. I expect the museum to strengthen our existing restaurants.” “So many of our students come to us with only a ‘surface’ knowledge of the rich history of Mississippi’s music, musicians and influence on American music,” said Tricia Walker, director of the Delta Music Institute in Cleveland. “One of the primary initiatives of the Grammy museum in Mississippi is education, and I look forward to tapping into the wealth of educational resources the museum will provide to students.” “The two museums will be 15-20 miles from each other,” Hammons said. “I see the possibility for collective marketing between them. Our goal is to bring visitors to the Memphis museums (Graceland and Stax) here as well as visitors to the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Center in Meridian. After the King Museum had been open six months, visitors from all 50 states and countries around the world had signed the guest book. We expect the same thing to happen here.” L

The best part of a tradition is making it your own. Lunch with coworkers. Dinner with family. Happy Hour with good friends. Everyday presents a new occasion to celebrate. And we’ve got just the place.

Natchez Eola Hotel and Guest House

In Historic Downtown Natchez 110 N. Pearl St. • Natchez, MS • 601.445.6000 toll free 1.866.445.3652 • www.natchezeola.com

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STORY FROM VICKSBURG, MISS.

TOMATO PLACE the

Roadside Fellowship in Warren County By Kara Martinez Bachman Photographs by Michael and Dianne Barrett

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uke Hughes of Vicksburg, has always fooled with produce. He started out selling fresh local fruits and vegetables on the roadside, out of the bed of a pickup truck. That was before he opened The Tomato Place in 2000. “It was an old grocery store, built probably in the ‘40s,” he said, of the building he “sort of designed with an island theme.” He said some from California say it reminds them of San Diego. To others, the look is south Florida or Caribbean. Hughes named it for his best-selling fruit. And yes, he’s quick to correct you if you call the plump, orange-red ‘mater a vegetable. It isn’t. Over time, The Tomato Place grew, becoming much more than what a roadside stand is expected to be. Now, the people who love it most describe it as more than a business; they consider it a caring, sharing family. “They are to me like my own family, every last one of them,” said B.B. Evans, who handles the “talking to people” public relations of the stand, answers emails and fixes “broken stuff or anything not working.” According to Evans, the staff includes some of Hughes’ extended family, as well as one mother-son and several mother-daughter teams. “They work well together and mesh like gears. What more can I say?” The stand didn’t start out selling sandwiches and other cooked items until, as Hughes describes it, “someone” saw them making ‘mater sandwiches for lunch one day and asked for one. The BLT is now considered by more than a few people to be pretty darn special. “The BLTs are what we’re known for,” said Hughes, who claims people on crosscountry trips will plan their route so as to land at The Tomato Place for lunch – to get that BLT or a “southernized” Jamaican jerk sandwich. Or something else. “One writer with The Washington Post once proclaimed that our BLT was the ‘best BLT on the face of the planet,’” said Evans, who bragged -- rightfully so -- that such media mentions are not at all uncommon for the little roadside curiosity. According to Hughes, the eventual focus away from produce and towards prepared foods was not completely by accident; it was by necessity. “The market’s changing so much. The younger generation doesn’t cook like my generation did,” Hughes said. He still sells watermelons, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, butter beans and Louisiana navel oranges, when they’re in season. The supply chain is simple and just right for the spirit of the place. It often comes from everyday backyard farmers. “They bring me a handful of stuff and we sell it,” said Hughes, who also has plants for sale. They aren’t the main focus, but “it makes the place look beautiful.” Other products make the place look beautiful, too, including the work of wood artist, Barry Cole. “Barry is a fireman with an extraordinary talent for working with wood,” Evans said. “Barry’s art is displayed all over The Tomato Place, and he has been in several of the art shows and contests in the area.” Another artist on display is Robert Smith. “He can turn scrap into some of the most beautiful works of art you can imagine,” Evans said, of the found object artist who has a penchant for neon. “We have a bicycle on the wall in the main part of our place that will knock your eyes out.” Smith is humble when talking about his own work, which he doesn’t bother

Luke Hughes, owner of The Tomato Place on U.S. Highway 61 South of Vicksburg and his daughter, Mallory Culbertson, get to work before dawn to prepare for a long day. Travelers along the popular route stop often at the roadside stand.

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 The Tomato Place attracts motorists on Highway 61. Just south of Vicksburg, it isn’t uncommon for travelers to plan their routes around a stop at the roadside lunch and produce shop.  Paradise at a roadside stand -- fresh coffee, baked goods, ripe tomato sandwiches, soups, good music and a hot outdoor fire await the hungry and weary.

putting price tags on just yet. “I call it junk … they call it art,” Smith said. He makes his art with old bikes, old car tires, mirrors, old car grills, you name it. “I collect gas pumps. I’m from a lost era, I should have been born back in the ‘50s,” Smith said. Then, he starts talking about the people of The Tomato Place, the people who are – again – like family. “These people treat you like they’ve known you all your life,” he said. The old-fashioned, lost-era tastes of Smith align perfectly with the old-world style support system at Hughes’ place. Smith isn’t an artist for a living; he runs a retail appliance shop a few minutes away. But in The Tomato Place world, his found object work has brought him value and gained him friends. He said he and Hughes “do stuff on a kind of barter system. We just swap out things. I made him a big neon smoothie sign.” He did not say what he gets in return, but he did say he eats there “at least” once a day. “I’ve owned a bar before. You have all these friends … but once the liquor stops flowing, you don’t have friends no more,” Smith said. But not here, where the values seem traditional, from the days when cars driving on the road nearby were covered in chrome and their passengers had a sense of community. “Nobody bats an eye. They’ll jump in my truck and help me unload it. It’s like back in the old days … and they don’t ask for anything in return.” Smith is not the only customer with a unique relationship to the stand. Hughes said R&B artist Vickie Baker made a CD for The Tomato Place, available for sale at the stand, and blues performer Dexter Allen has also done some songs. According to Evans, however, the “resident musician” is Raggy Ragsdale. “I brought Raggy to The Tomato Place several years back on his birthday for lunch,” Evans said. “He had our Kosher Chili Cheese Hotdog. He later wrote a song titled ‘I Wanna Hotdog.’ Once you hear it, it remains in your head forever.”

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VICKSBURG The Key to the South

VISIT

THE KEY TO HISTORY Vicksburg’s key position on the mighty Mississippi River set the stage for one of the most defining episodes in American history: The Siege of Vicksburg in the Civil War. You can relive that history in our museums and tour homes and the Vicksburg National Military Park. We’ve got it!

THE KEY TO ENTERTAINMENT

The music of the Mississippi Delta is known around the world. Many venues and festivals throughout the city present live music – blues, country, rock. You’ll want to take the family to see Gold in the Hills which is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest continuously running show. We’ve got it!

THE KEY TO SHOPPING Shops along Washington Street are filled with wonderful gift and specialty items that range from fun and funky to fantastically fashionable. You’ll love our antique and consignment shops! Find great deals at the Outlets at Vicksburg and the Vicksburg Mall boasting national retail favorites. We’ve got it!

THE KEY TO DINING

The Vicksburg menu includes Southern and international favorites, steaks and seafood. How about some fried green tomatoes with crabmeat hollandaise sauce, Southern cheese grits or a Cuban BBQ or a bountiful buffet? We’ve got it!

THE KEY TO ADVENTURE With sweeping views of the Mississippi River, Vicksburg perfectly blends Southern culture and heritage with exciting modern-day attractions. Whether it’s nature viewing, fishing, hunting, golfing or picnicking you want, we’ve got it!

Scan this QR to visit our mobile site and get your keys to Vicksburg. /VisitVicksburg Share your Vicksburg experiences using #VisitVicksburg for a chance to be featured!

www.VisitVicksburg.com READLEGENDS.COM •

He said Ragsdale has written quite a few songs inspired by, and has produced Youtube videos for, The Tomato Place. There are enough Ragsdale videos uploaded now to Youtube to keep you fully entertained while polishing off your own hot dog. Other valued patrons come by way of the AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps), which, according to Evans, has a large turnover of people coming to the Vicksburg area to train for disasters. “Eventually we end up seeing almost every trainee before they are reassigned,” Evans said. Others find their way there when in town for seminars and training, or, according to Evans, to work on long-term construction or repair projects at places such as the Grand Gulf Nuclear Facility near Port Gibson.

“The Tomato Place becomes a home away from home for these folks who come to the area for extended periods of time,” Evans said. “They come because of the good food, friendly atmosphere and great family attitude that is exhibited here. By the time they leave Vicksburg, they are considered by us as part of our family, and they feel the same way.” Evans said a whole van load of people, anywhere from 15 to 30 at a time, will arrive as a group, often from AmeriCorps. They will eat, drink and relax. “Sometimes, one will bring a guitar or other musical instrument, and the rest is history,” said Evans, who records and photographs impromptu performances for sharing on Facebook. “It is remarkable the job these young folks do, and then come to relax. We are proud to be a part of that part of their lives, because they really become a part of our lives.” Evans said people have visited from all parts of the globe, some of them saying they had to stop by because some book author wrote about the little “fruit stand on the side of the road.” Many of these visitors ask to buy the pepper jelly. It’s supposed to be good stuff, whether served on a turkey sandwich or as a sauce for pork rinds. This special condiment is called “Mississippi Fever,” and the stand ships it across the United States. Don’t even bother asking how it’s made; they won’t tell you. “We get requests for recipes weekly, especially for our smoothies and Mississippi Fever,” Evans said. “I can only reply that those formulas are more closely guarded than the original Coca-Cola formula. “This is a mild southern pepper sauce. It’s not like the sauces where they try to get it hotter and hotter to where it will kill you … it brings out the flavors of your food.” The Tomato Place seems all about flavor. Not just of food but of the spirit of cooperation and creativity that many think is mostly a thing of the past. Case in point is what’s found on the back of the restaurant’s menu, five simple lines that are almost like a poem. They say it all: We are a Slow Food Smell the Roses Hear the Music Feel the Atmosphere Kind of Place L WANT TO GO? Drive south of Vicksburg on Highway 61 and you’ll spot the brightly-colored Tomato Place. Order a sandwich, warm your hands by the fire and make a few friends along the way. For more information, visit www.thetomatoplace.com.

Vicksburg firefighters Capt. Barry Cole, left, and Lt. TavaresHatchett, enjoy breakfast at the roadside restaurant. The roadside eatery specializes in making hundreds of smoothies and made-to-order breakfast and lunch.

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join us To CELEBRATE ouR 75Th YEAR

April 6 -18

2015

75 Years of Exemplary Historic Home Tours and Unparalleled Hospitality go to www.visitcolumbusms.org for complete listing of events Tennessee Williams Home & Welcome Center • 300 Main Street • 800-920-3533 • www.visitcolumbusms.org

ON VIEW SEPTEMBER 27, 2014 – JANUARY 4, 2015 Spanish Sojourns: Robert Henri and the Spirit of Spain is organized by Telfair Museums, Savannah, Georgia. This exhibition is made possible through the generous support of the Mr. and Mrs. Raymond J. Horowitz Foundation for the Arts, Terra Foundation for American Art, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Robert Henri and Spain, Face to Face. An Exhibition about Connoisseurship, Conservation, and Context is organized by the Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, Mississippi. Local presentation of these exhibitions is made possible through the generous support of the Robert M. Hearin Support Foundation. The Mississippi Museum of Art and its programs are sponsored in part by the city of Jackson. Support is also provided by:

Robert Henri (1865-1929), The Green Fan (Girl of Toledo, Spain), 1912. oil on canvas, Gibbes Museum of Art, Charleston, South Carolina, 1914.002.0001. (Detail).

380 SOUTH LAMAR STREET / JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI 39201 / 601.960.1515 / 1.866.VIEWART / MSMUSEUMART.ORG

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STORY FROM COLUMBUS, MISS.

IN HER FATHER’S

KITCHEN Chef Beth Rogers carries on the

J. BROUSSARD’S TRADITION BY RILEY MANNING PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARIANNE TODD

lizabeth Broussard Rogers is a self-described compulsive cooker. “If I wasn’t doing it as a job, I would waste so much money,” she said. “Seriously, if I’m not cooking here, I’m cooking at home.” “Here” is J. Broussard’s. Tucked in downtown Columbus across from the Princess Theater, one step through the restaurant’s heavy wooden doors, lands you, seemingly, in New Orleans’ French Quarter. The doors themselves come from the New Orleans Stock Exchange Building, purchased at auction. It feels warm with deep burgundy walls, dark floors and candle lit tables. Slick jazz music floats down from the high ceilings, and voo doo décor adorns the bar. But the real voo doo reveals itself in what comes out

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of the kitchen. “We’re creole, but I guess you could put us in the New American South box,” Rogers said. “We source a lot of our ingredients locally, and I butcher the chickens myself.” The menu features N’awlins classics like chicken and andouille gumbo, shrimp and grits, catfish amandine and brie baked with brown sugar and almonds. Entrees feature grilled duck breast, red hot buffalo chicken with mac and cheese, a 12 ounce ribeye and an 8 ounce filet mignon. It’s a hard menu from which to choose, but you can’t go wrong. The creole glazed pork chop melts in your mouth. Served over warm grits, the chop’s firm, syrupy bark on the outside is brined to perfection with brown sugar. It’s

Beth Broussard Rogers and her mother, Mary Broussard. The pair continued the tradition set by Chef Joseph Broussard, father and husband, in the popular downtown Columbus restaurant.

with that. For us, we took grits and we said, ‘Okay, what all can we make that goes with grits?’ Pork chop, duck breast, you name it.” Rogers grew up in her father’s kitchen. Joseph Broussard was a New Orleans native and a master crafter of creole cuisine. He opened J. Broussard’s in 2000 to some success, but passed away eight years ago from complications due to stroke. At the time, Rogers lived and worked in Memphis as a pastry chef but came home to work after her father became ill. She was 22 when she took over the kitchen. Her mother, Mary Broussard, had her hands full managing the front of the house, which she still does, and the emotional devastation of her loss. “When he died, we were faced with the question of, ‘Who can do this?’” Rogers said. “I remember calling all our employees into the kitchen and telling them I didn’t know what the long term picture looked like, but for right then, I needed them to pull together for me, and they did.” Though she spent her childhood immersed in her father’s kitchen, it was at this time she realized she didn’t know how to cook any of it. She admits the food suffered, but the J. Broussard faithful - customers and employees alike -- stuck with her. In those difficult days she reported to work at 8:30 a.m. to prepare for the restaurant to open at 5 in the evening. “I stood in the kitchen and knew all the ingredients were somewhere in the building,” she said. “I didn’t know the recipes, but thought hard about what dad’s hands looked like when he was cooking. The first step was to make the dishes look the same, then fine tune it to taste the same.” Now at 31, Rogers is in full control. Sometimes it’s better cooking

“I stood in the kitchen and knew all the ingredients were somewhere in the building. I didn’t know the recipes, but thought hard about what dad’s hands looked like when he was cooking. The first step was to make the dishes look the same, then fine tune it to taste the same.” - Beth Rogers, J. Broussard’s topped with creole pepper jelly. J. Broussard’s shrimp creole packs just enough punch and accents the flavor of the succulent shrimp instead of overpowering it. Shrimp Creole is a dish close to Rogers’ heart, a staple of her father’s kitchen, the restaurant’s namesake. “One of the last times I went to New Orleans with my dad, about a month before he died, we went to a restaurant and he ordered shrimp creole,” Rogers said. “I asked him, ‘Why get something you cook all the time?’ and he said, ‘Just to make sure mine’s better.’ And it is.” For dessert, Rogers gets to show off, having worked as a pastry chef for a number of years. Her creme brule is smooth as a dream, and chocoholics will find themselves in three layers of heaven with the triple chocolate crunch cake. “I’ve finally got the blondie where I want it,” she said. “I’ve only been tinkering with it for about seven years.” Then there’s the bread pudding beignets. Let’s just say if the devil had tempted Jesus in the wilderness with these, things might be a lot different. If you want things done right... “What really makes our food different is that I alone cook it,” Rogers said. She’s telling the truth. Rogers works solo behind the ovens and stove, not so much handling multiple pans as wielding them. Her only help is a server to plate the food or pull something out of the oven. It’s common for her on busy nights to cook for 80 diners at once. “That’s why we’re not open for lunch,” she said, adding a colorful word here and there. “It’s hard to find someone tough enough.” Her last sous chef left six months ago when he completed his welding degree. Rogers said efficiency is crucial to her kitchen, and her key to it is backwards from most restaurants, another trick of the trade she learned from her father. “Usually, you know, you go into a nice restaurant and you have a fish dish that goes with one particular side. The side is only there to compliment the entree,” she said. “But dad’s philosophy was, let’s have one potato and one vegetable, and cook as many things as we can to go

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by herself, she said, because it allows for a lot less aggravation. She’s made a few tweaks to her father’s menu, orienting her entrees more around grits and poblano than rice. “Lots of chefs on TV shows say you can’t learn to cook without traveling,” she said. “I have a cabinet full of inspiration. I don’t follow recipes now. If I want to make something, I read six recipes then decide how I’m going to make mine.” Her mother runs the front of the house, and the two collaborate on every decision that must be made around the restaurant. Joseph Broussard has a wall to himself just outside the kitchen decorated with accolades and news clippings. There’s plenty of love there, for each other, the customers and employees. “I hate going out to eat food made with fake butter and already-chopped garlic,” she said. “We’re all about the food and people who really love food. Why shouldn’t you eat the good stuff all the time?” Why not? Indeed. L WANT TO GO? J. Broussard’s Restaurant New Orleans Style Cuisine 210 5th St. South, Columbus, MS 30917 (662) 243-1480 Open Tuesdays through Saturdays at 5:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.jbroussards.com

Top: Entrees include Black Angus ribeye, Brown Sugar Brined Pork Chop, Shrimp Bourguignon, Roasted Garlic-Rosemary Chicken Breast, Fettuccine Diablo and Veal with shrimp and mushrooms. Center: Beth Rogers has made her father’s kitchen her own. The chef can single handedly cook for as many as 80 diners at a time. Bottom: Broussards features a wide range of dessert offerings -- the Blondie with homemade ice cream, decadent triple chocolate crunch cake, bread pudding beignets and creme brulee.

STORY FROM DESTIN, FLA.

SCENES FROM THE

2014 DESTIN SEAFOOD FESTIVAL Photographs by Marianne Todd

othing celebrates the ocean’s bounty quite like the Destin Seafood Festival. In its 36th year on the boardwalk of the beautiful Destin Harbor, the festival coincides with Destin’s yearly Fishing Rodeo and pays homage to the sun, music, artisans, culture and food of salt life. The festival was begun by the Destin Charter Boat Association’s Women’s Auxiliary as a fundraiser and labor of love for the local fishing fleet. Nowadays, the tradition lives on through the Destin Charter Boat Association. Together with local restaurants and seafood markets, the local business community works to sustain this beloved part of Destin’s heritage. This year, the festival featured three stages of live entertainment, food from more than 25 vendors and restaurants, a mile of artisans, crafters and kids fun zones throughout. It’s just another reason why this Emerald Coast is home to The World’s Luckiest Fishing Village. L

STORY FROM PHILADELPHIA, MISS.

“SATURDAY NIGHT” (Rough Around the Edges)

five-time Grammy-winner and multi instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, photographer and historian, Marty Stuart is the torch bearer for traditional country, roots and gospel music. He has performed alongside – and lived with – country music greats for more than 40 years. Stuart began his professional career at the age of 12, touring with the Sullivan Family Gospel Singers. The opportunity to join Lester Flats’ bluegrass band came available a year later. His mother agreed on the condition that he live with Flat. As a result, Stuart was adopted not only by Flat but the family of legendary country stars that ran with Flat. His latest release is a testament to the influence of that legendary country music family. Stuart’s newest release, “Saturday Night/Sunday Morning,” which he recorded with His Fabulous Superlatives, is a doubledisc set comprised of 23 tracks of well-done honky-tonk, country, rockabilly and gospel. Disc No. 1, “Saturday Night (Rough Around The Edges)” kicks off with “Jailhouse,” a real burner mixed in true stereo. Stuart’s

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distinctive trademark voice emulates the conviction and soul of bluesman-meets-country preacher. Impressive, accurate and well executed guitar solos have tones and stylings reminiscent of the ‘60s instrumental group The Ventures. One guitar is panned to the extreme left speaker then the second guitar jumps out from the right. Whether this sparks a distant memory or it’s a first-time experience, you’ll be grabbed. Old school and rootsy, the harmonica and piano kick it up on song No. 2, “Geraldine,” a real rockabilly roller that would make Carl Perkins proud.

“Saturday Night” has a musical canvas with a large color pallet – from rockabilly to traditional country and a couple of notable covers tossed in. It’s reminiscent of the days of the common country waltz when folks would fill honky-tonk dance floors, partners pulled close, shuffling slowly to 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3. Stuart’s cover of the George Jones/Hal Bynum “Old Old House” is as traditional as it gets.

SUNDAY MORNING (Cathedral)

f you can’t make it to church, pop this CD in the player and join Stuart in the “Cathedral of the Heart.” This genuine gospel release finds Mavis and Roebuck Staples paired with Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives on The Staple Singers’ spiritual “Uncloudy Day.” For the recording, Stuart used Pop Staples’ (his godfather’s) Fender Telecaster guitar that was bequest to him by the Staples family and in doing so, he brings Pop’s signature tremelo sound back to life while managing to honor the quality of the original recording. “Boogie Woogie Down The Jerocho Road” uses a guitar riff reminiscent of John Lee Hooker. Added are cool lyrics and a groove so good that listeners won’t want it to stop. “That Gospel Way” borrows the rhythm of a dirge and the tonality and stylings of a classic Johnny Cash sound.

Other notables are “God Will Make A Way For Me,” “Angels Rock Me To Sleep,” and “Heaven.” The latter offers harmonies so true and honest, you might think you’re actually on the way to meeting the Maker. Nine years in the making, it’s obvious that “Saturday Night/Sunday Morning is a labor of love. The harmonies are so present and strong that one could hardly consider them background vocals. The level of musicianship, technique and eclectic arrangements are sure to catch the ear of many guitar slingers, bassists, drummers, singers and songwriters. In these days where most major releases target the masses, it’s refreshing to hear a release where the importance of the music quality transcends the latest trend. Through love, respect and dedication, this work is a fine example of pure and honest American art. It’s also yet another example of how this country music legend continues to carry the torch for this beloved American music. I give this CD all A’s, without a doubt. L

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TU TU TU

Art & Design Mid 20th Century to Contemporary

Jewelry, Art, Pottery, Glass, Metal Arts & Objects

Sterling & 18K Gold Pin by Graziella Laffi 1940s Sterling Bracelet by Alphonse La Paglia

Breakfast until 2 p.m. Lunch until 4 p.m. ◆ Free Wi-Fi ◆ Book Exchange ◆ Art & Photography ◆ ◆

Homemade Soups, Sandwiches, Cakes, Muffins, Coffee & Teas, Fruit Smoothies and much more!

509 Franklin Street ~ Natchez, Mississippi ~ (601) 304-1415

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Mid 20th Century Italian Pottery Lamp by Fantoni

415 Main Street, Natchez, Mississippi 39120 601-304-9684 • 228-424-7274 www.mschon.com

mschonmodern@gmail.com

UP TO

Lauderdale County Farm Supply

OFF

EXIT 151

49th Ave S. •

•

WHAT’S SHAKIN’ IN THE CRADLE? •

•

BATON ROUGE, LA.

• Jan. 31 … 300 Years of Soul – exploring the origins of music. LSU Student Union Theatre. For more information call (225) 578-5128 or visit www.uniontheater.lsu.edu. BILOXI, MISS.

• Dec. 4 – 14 … Willy Wonka Jr. –held at Biloxi Little Theatre. For more information or tickets, call (228) 432-8543. • Jan. 9 … Foreigner in concert at Hard Rock Casino starting at 8 p.m. For ticket information, call (877) 877-6256. CLARKSDALE, MISS.

• Dec. 12… Daddy Mac Blues Band live at Ground Zero Blues Club with show starting at 9 p.m. For more information call (662) 621-9009 or email groundzerogm@cableone.net. DELCAMBRE, LA.

• Dec. 6… Battle of the Paddles Gumbo Cook-Off at the Delcambre Shrimp Festival Grounds. For more information call (337) 519-4362. DESTIN, FLA.

• Dec. 14 … 28th Annual Holiday on the Harbor Destin Lighted Boat Parade & Fireworks. For more information call (850) 837-6611 or visit www.destinhistoryandfishingmuseum.org. • Jan. 31 … Destin History and Fishing Museum Gumbo Contest & Silent Auction. For more information call (850) 837-6611 or visit www.destinhistoryandfishingmuseum.org. HATTIESBURG, MISS.

• Dec. 11 – 13... White Christmas the Musical will be presented by William Carey Winters School of Music. For more information call (601) 318-6051. HELENA, ARK.

• Jan. 22… Warfield Concerts presents 7 Bridges: The Ultimate Eagles Experience starting at 7:30 p.m. at Lily Peter Auditorium. For more information call (870) 714-2844. HERNANDO, MISS.

• Jan. 2 – Feb. 28 … “This Delta” Traveling Exhibit located at the DeSoto County Museum. For more information call (662) 429-8852 or visit www.desotomuseum.org. JACKSON, MISS.

• Through Jan. 4, 2015 … Spanish Sojourns, Robert Henri and the Spirit of Spain exhibit. For info call (601) 960-1515 or visit www.msmuseumart.org. • Dec. 6 – 7… The Nutcracker being performed at Thalia Mara Hall. For more information call (601) 960-1560 or visit www.balletms.com.

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LELAND, MISS.

• Dec. 6 – 20 … 50th Anniversary Christmas on Deer Creek held during the first three Saturdays of the month. For more information call (662) 686-2687 or email lelandcoc@gmail.com. MEMPHIS, TENN.

• Dec. 20… Holiday Pops concert – Memphis Symphony Orchestra at Cannon Center for the Performing Arts. For more information call (901) 576-1269. • Jan. 7 – 10 … Elvis Presley Birthday Celebration 2015 at Graceland. For more information call (800) 238-2000 or visit www.graceland.com. MERIDIAN, MISS.

• Dec. 13 … Debby Boone – Christmas Show at 7:30 p.m., MSU Riley Center. For more information (601) 696-2200 or visit www.msurileycenter.com. MOSS POINT, MISS.

• Through Jan. 4… 21st Annual Fall-De-Rah located at Riverfront Park in downtown Moss Point. For more information call (228) 219-0161. NATCHEZ, MISS.

• Dec. 4 … Holiday Concert at Eola Hotel. Free to the public. For more information call (601) 445-6000. • Dec. 12 … Special Christmas Candlelight Tour at The Towers. For more information call (601) 446-6890 or (601) 446-6631. NEW IBERIA, LA.

• Jan. 15 – 31 … Under the Iberia Live Oaks with George Rodrigue and his Blue Dog exhibit at Bayou Teche Museum. For hours and admission fee, call (337) 605-5977. OCEAN SPRINGS, MISS.

• Jan. 31 … 40th Annual Ocean Springs Elks Mardi Gras Parade starting at 1 p.m. For more information, call (228) 872-2501. OXFORD, MISS.

• Dec. 9 … The Medieval Baebes – Of Kings and Angels Concert at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts. For more information call (662) 915-2787 or visit www.fordcenter.org. • Jan. 30 – Feb. 1 … 5th Annual Oxford Fiber Arts Festival will be held at the PowerHouse. For more information call (662) 236-6429. TUPELO, MISS.

• Dec. 1 – 22 … Guy Hovis Music Exhibit at the Tupelo Convention & Visitor’s Bureau. For more information call (662) 841-6521 or visit www.tupelo.net. • Dec. 13 … Christmas with the North Mississippi Symphony Orchestra. For more information call (662) 842-8433 or visit www.nmsymphony.com. VICKSBURG, MISS.

• Dec. 14 … St. Joseph Orchestra Christmas Concert at 3 p.m. in the Southern Culture Heritage auditorium. For more information call (601) 631-2997 or visit www.southernculture.org. • Dec. 19 – 21 … Big Al and The Heavyweights in concert at Ameristar Bottleneck Blues Bar as part of the “Vicksburg’s Got Blues” Heritage Music Series. For more information call (601) 638-1000.

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