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April 2018
Contents Out and About
Features
22 Desoto’s Best Winners Party
36 Design Intervention
24 3rd Annual Shamrock-n-Run
Five Memphis Fashion Week makers to watch
26 Olive Branch Arts Council
51 Blues For Sale
28 Les Passees Cabaret: Venetian Masquerade
Theo Dasbach’s densely packed shrine to all things Rock n’ Blues in Clarksdale, Mississippi, goes up for sale
30 26th Annual Works of Heart 32 Cognac, Cars & Cigars 34 Whiskey, Wine, & Chocolates
Cover image courtesy of Jess Williams
Up Front 14 Causes
61 Drink
Buttons and Bravery
Bitter Lemon Spritz
Healing Hearts Child Advocacy Center creates a safehaven for abused children
A simple blend of muddled fresh lemon, Angostura bitters, vodka, lemonade, and a splash of club soda
16 Food
63 Wild South
Queen of Cookies Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies have ruled the Mid-South for 20-plus years
Turkey Buzzard (Cathartes aur) Examining the South’s dastardly carrioncraving bird of prey
18 Art Making a Fit An inside look at the trials and tribulations of costume design in two Mid-South theater companies
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A Letter From Our Editor
Wear Local This month’s issue of Click magazine is all about examining the handmade artifacts that put our region’s very particular sense of style on the map. The South might not be able to compete with Milan or New York when it comes to cutting edge fashion, but we do have soul and we have it in scores. From the music to the arts to the very clothes on our backs, you could say that being a Southerner is cooler today than ever before. And if you need proof of that, look no further than our April fashion feature, “Design Intervention,” which profiles five fashion-forward individuals participating in the upcoming Memphis Fashion Festivities. These guys have gone to great lengths to provide us with a sampling of the season’s hottest new all-local and all-original designs. Take a look at our coverage on page 36 to see this year’s emerging designer participants showcase beautiful African prints alongside stunning statement pieces and casual-comfy chic. Speaking of goodies produced right here in the MidSouth, have you ever seen a bag of Makeda’s homemade butter cookies at your local grocery story? I’m sure most of you have. See page 16 for the story behind these ubiquitous treats. If you’ve read this magazine at all in the past few years (or even last month), you’d know that we here at Click have a deep love for the blues. So when a mysterious “for sale” ad for Clarksdale’s Rock and Blues Museum popped up in the Wall Street Journal, we definitely had to check it out. Read all about the story of Theo Dasbach and his staggering collection of blues and rock relics from days past on page 51. So from all of us to all of you: enjoy this one, and don’t forget to carry an umbrella this month. Read on,
Casey Hilder Editor@myclickmag.com
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April 2018
Write to us Editor @myclickmag.com Click Magazine P.O. Box 100 Hernando, MS 38632
Co-Presidents Jonathan Pittman & Angie Pittman Editor Casey Hilder editor@myclickmag.com Art Director Hannah Lovell Ad Design Nick Howard Copy Editor Taylor Smith Contributing Writers Tess Catlett Mary Eckersley Casey Hilder Sarah Vaughan Contributing Photographers Brian Anderson Frank Chin Casey Hilder Mike Lee Sales Director Lyla McAlexander lyla@dttclick.com Account Representatives Sheri Floyd sheri@dttclick.com Diana Linville diana@dttclick.com
We make every effort to correct factual mistakes and omissions in a timely and candid manner. Information can be forwarded to Casey Hilder at address listed above.
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Click Contributors
Meet a few of our friends at Click
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February 2018
Taylor Smith Taylor Smith really should change her name to “Word.” She’s been a reporter for multiple publications in the MidSouth, including The Daily Helmsman, The Leader and The Commercial Appeal, and she journals every day. When she’s not moonlighting as a copy editor, she’s working full-time as a project coordinator for City Gear, an urban streetwear retailer, or watching another episode of Forensic Files with her boyfriend, Jason.
Julia Baker Writing runs deep in the veins of Julia Baker, a second-generation journalist and University of Memphis Sophomore. Julia has a passion for anything linguistic, from studying foreign languages to writing. Some of her other interests include traveling abroad, camping and hiking. Her work can be seen in The Memphis Flyer, Memphis Parent, and right here in the pages of Click Magazine.
Sarah Vaughn Olive Branch native Sarah Vaughan has written for more than a dozen publications in and around Mississippi. Sarah is a graduate of the Meek School of Journalism and New Media at Ole Miss and enjoys working as a freelance writer and graphic designer. When she’s not reading cozy English mysteries or trying out a new recipe, she’s probably repairing or rebuilding the most recent demolition of her two beagles, Amos and Annie, and tabby cat, Arlo.
Mike Lee Event photos in this issue were captured by Click photographer Mike Lee. Mike started in news in 1971 as a TV writer, photographer, and art director. For 20 years, his work appeared on national and international television broadcasts, and was published in print media worldwide.
Mary Eckersley Mar y Eckersley is a Memphisbased writer and photographer and recent journalism graduate from The University of Memphis. She has been a member of the Memphis music community since 2010, and has interned with companies such as The Recording Academy and Ardent Studios.
MOBILE BANKING Jess Williams Jess Williams is a music portrait photographer based in Nashville, Tennessee. Jess’ love affair for photography began during his first deployment to Afghanistan with the military in 2006. Jess’ honed in on his obsession and later discovered he could serve as a photojournalist in the Army. Jess is currently serving in the Tennessee Army National Guard with 16 years of military service under his belt. Jess is a firm believer in fostering creativity and fulfillment through personal pursuits and the collaborative process with other artists.
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April 2018
People, Places, and Parties
Up Front
14 Causes
16 Food
18 Arts
Buttons & Bravery
Queen of Cookies
Making a Fit
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Buttons & Bravery
Healing Hearts Child Advocacy Center creates a safehaven for abused children
Story by Sarah Vaughan Photos Courtesy of Photos courtesy of Healing Hearts CAC
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April 2018
Decorated buttons from Healing Hearts CAC’s “Buttons for Bravery Room.” A display case containing hundreds of unique buttons chosen by children who pass through the doors of the facility lets them know they are not alone.
The statistics are daunting. On average, 1 out of every 4 girls and 1 out of every 6 b oys are sexually abused before they reach the age of 18. Sixty-eight percent of perpetrators are family members, and 90 percent are someone the child knows. Desoto County is not immune to these statistics, but Healing Hearts Child Advocacy Center is a safe haven for these children and their avengers. Healing Hearts CAC's mission is to respond to child abuse with a supportive team approach that reduces trauma through advocacy, treatment, education, and prevention. Founder Ashley Schachterle knows firsthand how important child advocacy centers are. While working as a social worker for private practices in DeSoto County, she encountered multiple sexually-abused children whose safety and well-being were in danger due to a lack of resources and advocacy programs. “There was one particular case in which a young girl made a child abuse disclosure, but because there weren’t a lot of clinics and organizations that had licensed social workers in Oxford where she was living, she had to wait for social workers from DeSoto County to handle her case there,” says Schachterle. Not a lot could be done about her case
because she was on a waiting list, and Schachterle felt like there had to be a way to make the process better. “I researched nonprofits and tried to figure out how to fix that problem. I was getting a lot of feedback from patients saying they had lifelong consequences from the abuse while nothing was happening to the offender. I was hearing from patients that they didn’t feel like there was anything that could be done to help them, and I was hearing over and over from people who said that I was the last in a long line of people they’d had to tell their traumatic story to in order to stop the abuse and yet nothing was being done about it.” Since its opening in 2013, Healing Hearts CAC has conducted more than 1,200 forensic interviews, reviewed more than 1,350 cases with law enforcement, and provided more than 1,600 therapy sessions. More than 15,000 family advocacy services have been utilized in those five years. These statistics are an indication that organizations like Healing Hearts CAC are crucial in regards to protecting children in our community and providing them with the resources and services necessary to heal from their trauma. At Healing Hearts CAC, children can tell their stories one time to a trained forensic interviewer and see their futures impacted
by any follow-up services and resources there are necessary. The center works with children ages 2 to 18 who need protection and help from all types of abuse. “When children are made safer and more secure, the community benefits because content, happy children grow into successful adults, who in turn make the community more vital and desirable,” says Schachterle. “There’s no other agency in DeSoto County who is able to provide all of the services we do, so if Healing Hearts CAC didn’t exist, there would not be any type of organization that provides free services to victims of abuse.” The services provided by Healing Hearts is absolutely free; no medical insurance is required, and no patients, family members, or caregivers are ever charged for any type of service. Every staff member at Healing Hearts is also specially trained to work with victims of sexual abuse in order to provide specialized treatment. From mental health counseling to coordinating meetings bet ween children and trained service dogs, Healing Hearts works to take children out of harmful environments and to provide them with the tools and medical attention needed to heal these deeply tragic wounds. Healing Hearts CAC works with law enforcement and other members of the community throughout DeSoto and Tate
counties, but they also need community voices and efforts to stand up and speak out in order to help them serve the abused and neglected children in our community. “If you see something, say something,” says Schachterle. “Then we can put into the hands of trained investigators. I don’t think many people realize that this is happening in our own backyard. Child abuse, especially sexual abuse, doesn’t have any economic, racial, or ethnic boundary. It happens every where. It doesn’t happen in one economic area more than another. It’s happening here, and we need to acknowledge that and talk about it rather than acting like it doesn’t happen. “Before we opened our doors, we didn’t have a universal response to how to help these victims,” says Schachterle. “Perpetrators and sexual predators will actually do research to find out how many other offenders there are and what type of organizations are in place to prevent sexual abuse before they move into an area. We can do something about that and work with law enforcement and prosecution.” Because the CAC operates solely on fundraising and grants and does not charge families or agencies for services, volunteers are needed to organize and give manpower to various fundraising events. Often there are volunteer jobs
open for special projects, such as providing Christmas bags for foster children, stocking the clothes closet for children removed from families, and planting pinwheel gardens during Child Abuse Awareness Month. Simply donating funds to support Healing Hearts CAC goes a long way in making sure children are kept safe and perpetrators are apprehended. “Research says that people tend to give four times more to abused animals than to abused children,” says Schachterle. “I think that’s because people shy away from wanting to talk about it and therefore they don’t understand how big of a problem it really is. We do 14-16 interviews a week, which means that at least that many children in our community are in desperate need of our services each and every day. We need more staff and interview rooms and therapists, and it’s difficult to raise funds and inform and educate the public about child abuse and appropriate measures to take when abuse is suspected if our community isn’t aware of just how big of a problem it is.” For more information on Healing Hearts Child Advocacy Center, visit www.healingheartscac.org
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Queen of Cookies Makeda's Homemade Butter Cookies have ruled the Mid-South for 20-plus years Story by Julia Baker Photos by Casey Hilder
The simple, handcrafted look of Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies should be familiar to any Southern shopper. Packages of the lovingly crafted, fork-pressed cookies bearing the image of young Makeda Hill can be found in supermarkets and groceries stores across the Mid-South. Nineteen years ago, Maurice and Pamela Hill sought to improve upon and make a business out of their family’s butter cookie recipe in honor of their niece, Makeda, who passed away from Leukemia in 1997. What resulted is a successful business that now offers an array of cookies bursting with nostalgic flavor. Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies is a family business through and through. The company is named after Makeda Denise Hill, Pamela and Maurice’s niece and Morris’ daughter, who lost her battle to leukemia at age 6 on July 18, 1997. Since then, the Hills have kept her memory alive by producing cookies in her honor. The initial butter cookie recipe came from Harvey Lee Suggars, Maurice’s grandmother, who worked in a Memphis City Schools cafeteria for 22 years. Although Suggars came up with the recipe on her own before she began working at MCS, the recipe tasted similar to what was already being served in local schools. “Maurice’s brother [Morris], Makeda’s dad, was always making batches of his grandma’s recipe,” Pamela says. “He would always say, ‘Where can you go to get them? You can’t find them anymore. They don’t sell them in the schools anymore.’” Thus, Morris and Maurice got the idea to make a business out of it. The business got its start in 1998 when Morris began making cookies, 16
April 2018
and Maurice took them to work at The Regional Medical Center to sell. A few years later, in 2004, Pamela and Maurice took a leap of faith when they quit their jobs at The Med making $20 an hour to carry the torch and produce the recipe full-time. “Maurice wanted to work because he wanted to and not because he had to,” Pamela says. However, Pamela was unsure about leaving her cushy job to make cookies, but she found encouragement from an India.Ari song entitled, “Strength, Courage, and Wisdom.” “The song is about stepping out on faith,” Pamela remembers. “I listened to it all day the day I quit my job.” The Hills opened their first store on Airways Boulevard in 1999 and began a trial-and-error process of perfecting their own Butter Cookie recipe. “At first, I didn’t believe in the cookie because it was crumbly,” Pamela says. “We played with the recipe for about three years, trying to make a better cookie. At first, we used Grade B butter, but that made inconsistent batches, so we started using Grade AA butter.” Once they had the butter cookie recipe down, the Hills began introducing other flavors of cookies into the mix. Some of these flavors included peanut butter, double chocolate chip, and tea cakes. The classic fork-pressed peanut butter cookie, made with Jif peanut butter, does not disappoint. It’s a peanut butter cookie to go nuts over. The double chocolate chip cookie, a must for chocolate lovers, has an explosion of flavor that tickles the tastebuds. And the tea cakes? “The tea cakes are our original recipe,” says
Maurice. “It’s basically a chocolate chip cookie without the chocolate chips.” Makeda’s offers 15 other f lavors, including sensual strawberry, lemon goodness, and iced oatmeal. “Love is the main ingredient,” says Maurice. Beyond that, it’s the USDA Grade AA butter and name-brand ingredients, including Domino sugar, Pillsbury flour, Sun Maid raisins, Nestle Tollhouse morsels, Quaker Oats, Mauna Loa macadamia nuts, Golden Sweet Pecans, and Jif peanut butter, that makes Makeda’s cookies stand out from the rest. The only exception to the high-quality ingredient rule is the imitation vanilla they use, which provides a more consistent flavor than vanilla extract. The doughmaking process involves letting the butter sit at room temperature for two hours before mixing the dough. Once the butter is ready, they take their time mixing the dough. The butter and sugar need to be light and fluffy before adding the egg, and once the dry ingredients are added, the dough is blended for several minutes. The cookie dough, produced at their South Main location, is then baked at either of their two bakeries and sold on-site. The butter cookie bites, a local grocery store staple, are fork-pressed, baked and packaged daily at the South Main location and shipped to grocery stores throughout the Mid-South. In an effort to expand the brand in 2005,
the Hills struck a deal with Kroger to sell butter cookie bites in 12 Kroger locations. However, they backed out of the deal with Kroger in 2006, because they had too large of a workload with four locations and not enough staff to keep up with production. As a result, they closed their bakeries at Raleigh LaGrange in 2010, Hickory Hill in 2014, Madison in 2006, and kept the Airways location as their main branch of production and distribution. In 2010, with fewer store locations to keep up with, Makeda’s struck another deal with Kroger, and this time, they got to sell their butter cookie bites to the entire region. Presently, Makeda’s butter cookie bites are available at several local grocery stores in the Mid-South, including 35 Kroger locations, six SuperLo Foods stores, four Cash Saver locations, and one Montesi’s Supermarket. Butter cookie bites come in packages of three different sizes: 18, 30, and 60 count. Although the company’s locations on Madison Avenue, Hickory Hill, and RaleighLagrange Road have come and gone, two locations on Airways Boulevard and South Second Street remain. The latter location, launched by MEMShop’s Heritage Trail program in May 2015, was an initiative pioneered by the [Memphis] Mayor’s Innovation and Delivery Team that utilizes abandoned storefronts by providing subsidized rent and consulting for small businesses. When Makeda’s 6-month
subsidized rent came to a close, the Hills decided to take on the rent and keep the location, which would later take Airways’ place as the main branch of operations. Pamela hopes to work on making production more quick and efficient. “Right now, the biggest problem we have is production, and that’s the only way we’re really going to grow,” she says. “To get these machines for streamlining production, you need to have money to make money.” Once the company is able to increase production, the Hills hope to franchise their company and distribute their product globally. “We feel Makeda’s spirit here every day,” Pamela says. The brand name can also be attributed to Makeda, the Queen of Sheba, because in Memphis and Mississippi, Makeda is the Queen of Cookies. Most of the staff at Makeda’s consists of three generations of family (although their family has just seen an addition of a fourth generation with the birth of their new grandson). Pamela says there are only two employees at the South Main location who are not family. Every customer who walks in is treated like family, too. They are all greeted with a warm smile and, oftentimes, a hug. Makeda's Homemade Cookies is located at 2370 Airways Blvd. and 488 S. Second St., is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and closed on Sunday. myclickmag.com
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Making a Fit Bringing the fantastical stories that inspired many popular Disney films to life is just another day’s work for Melanie Ozburn. Ozburn recently returned to her home of Desoto County to work as one of the thrifty theater company’s lead costume designers after establishing a theater company of her own in Hopkinsville, Kentucky
Click Magazine: How did you get started with Desoto Family Theatre? Melanie Ozburn: I began working here back in September with Willy Wonka Junior and I’ve put together costumes for A Christmas Carol & Aladdin Junior since then. CM: What kind of work goes into putting together building an ensemble for an ensemble cast of all shapes and sizes? MO: It’s different for every show, and it’s different altogether for us, as a community theater, compared to a larger organization. We take a lot of gifted or donated items and look at them and say, for example, with Aladdin: “How can we change this fabric to look like it fits in the Middle East?” We ended up repurposing a lot of items from old shows. I sew and stitch the outfits myself with a great group of volunteer seamstresses that help out, as well.
Melanie Ozburn Costume Designer with Desoto Family Theatre
A look at the costume design philosophy behind two Mid-South performing arts institutions Story and photos by Casey Hilder
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April 2018
CM: What are some of the challenges associated with your position? MO: Just getting that foundation to build on. If we don’t have something to build from, we have to make it from scratch and JOANN’s coupons and Goodwill stores become our best friends. In the recent Aladdin show, we ended up putting together Jasmine’s outfit from the ground up. A lot of the work we do is done with a tight budget in mind. As a nonprofit, we have to really make every little bit count. We rely heavily on donations, volunteers and a lot of creativity. CM: What’s the hardest part of getting an outfit just right? MO: For a costumer, a lot of the time it’s the little things. You’ll find yourself asking things like “Why can’t I get everyone to wear their red sash the exact same way,” and that sort of thing. Our performers range from age 6 to 96, so it’s definitely a challenge.
CM: What was your favorite costume to design? MO: For a Christmas Carol, we did an interesting take on the Ghost of Christmas Future’s costume. Jordan Nichols, the director, wanted the ghost to be played as an old hag who transforms into an enchantress. The costume has a lot of quick-change elements and it was a lot of fun. The costume change had to be fast, but not so fast so the audience wasn’t aware a change had occurred. It was interesting just figuring out all the physics behind it. CM: What are some unconventional materials used in your costumes? MO: We use a lot of things like magnets for the quick change I just mentioned. When I worked on Beauty and the Beast, the beast’s costume called for a lot of PVC piping, while many fantasy shows in general use L200, which is a type of foam normally associated with yoga mats. CM: What is your dream production? MO: It’s really a tie between Wicked, because I love all the fantasy aspects and colors, and something like Little Women because I also love the historic, nicely put together outfits. They’re both pretty much opposites, but I would love to take on the challenge. CM: What can we expect this year from Desoto Family Theatre? MO: We just announced Newsies for Christmas. I’m an original Newsies fan – the old movie with Christian Bale – the Broadway show is a little different, but I’m excited for it as well. We’re also putting on The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, which should have some really fun costumes in it.
The work of veteran costume designer Bruce Bui, like everything else in the world of ballet, is dictated by movement. Bui oversees Ballet Memphis’ sprawling costume department at its Madison Avenue headquarters and has produced costumes for a wide selection of original plays put on by Memphis’ premier ballet company. In addition to his love of the stage, Bui has styled television commercials with First Tennessee Bank and FedEx
Click Magazine: What brought you to Ballet Memphis? Bruce Bui: I’m originally from the San Fernando Valley in California and came down here for the position of Wardrobe Supervisor. I’ve been here since around the summer of ’01. My degree is in technical theater with an emphasis on costume design. I do commercials, but theater is really my passion. CM: What are some of your favorite programs you’ve worked on? BB: It’s hard to say— ever y new production we put together is my favorite. One of the most memorable that I’ve ever put together was The Wizard of Oz. It was one of the first times we produced an in-house storybook. It was an entirely brand-new style for us, a storybook ballet, and everything was done right here. And we were also on a pretty busy touring season at the time, as well, so we were lugging these halffinished works with us to keep building. It was a lot of work. CM: Do you have a favorite kind of theater? BB: I love all things Shakespeare, especially designing it. There’s was a span of about five years where I volunteered with Tennessee Shakespeare Company. There’s a textbook way of designing a piece for one of his plays and I always learn something new every time I do it. Every time, there are new ways to help the audience define the characters. Because there are so many male parts and things can easily get lost, doing my part to help visually explain things is very important.
CM: How much work goes into producing original outfits? BB: I would say it takes several weeks for four of us to produce a piece, which on average is eight to ten costumes. Sometimes we need three new pieces per program, sometimes one, sometimes an old piece needs to be restaged for a program. When we restage a piece, we take a piece that’s been designed and choreographed and we redo it while trying to keep in the spirit of that original design. We try as hard as possible to make it look like that original design and keep the spirit. It can get tricky. Dance is a little different than theater in that you can’t really just, for example, switch a tie out and no one notices. Dance is a little more cerebral and it’s all designed as a piece. CM: What are some more differences between design for theater and Bruce Bui design for ballet? Wardrobe Director with Ballet Memphis BB: They are almost different animals. Dance is, first and foremost, about movement. The part that takes a little creativity on behalf of the designer. It’s not like a stage actor where you can just say “Don’t life your arms this way” or “Keep your hands out of your pocket.” Our dancers expect to have free range of motion when performing. It has to look beautiful, it has to look effortless. But it can’t get caught, it can’t break. CM: How would you define your own personal style? BB: I am very old school. My mentor at California Lutheran University was very traditional and my original background was in Shakespeare, so I’m very much a pen-and-paper kind of guy. I still like to sketch things out with watercolor beforehand.
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Bill & Terri Moyer
Around Town One Party at a Time
Out and About Mollie Evans, Lauren Mckenzie, Sandra Learned, Madelyn & Ashley Mitchell
22 Desoto's Best Winners
26 Shamrock-n-Run
28 Begin With Color Exhibition
30 Venetian Masquerade
32 Works of Heart
34 Cognac, Cars, & Cigars
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Desoto's Best Winners Party DeSoto County is no stranger to excellence. Every year, its community members come together to celebrate the best of the best in more than 200 categories. After the votes for 2017 were tallied, DeSoto Times-Tribune held a celebration for the winners at the Bankplus Training Center in Southaven.
February 22, 2018 Photos by Mike Lee
Johnny & Weslynne Loper
Karen Hill, Marsha Brasher, Jamie Cliett, & Julie Terrell
Ashley Summerfeild, Christan Hedrick, & Rachel Bensley 22
April 2018
Jason & Anna Banks
Monica & Kevin Campbell
Ashlae Stephenson & Dalton Scola
Jonathan & Mary Mah
Emily & Michael Layson myclickmag.com
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3rd Annual
Shamrock-n-Run St. Patrick’s Day celebrations got off to a running start with this annual event held at Snowden Grove Park in Southaven. All money earned through donations at this event goes toward supporting the Coldwater River Nature ConservancyDesoto County Trails for walking/running and bike trails.
March 17, 2018 Photos by Mike Lee
Amanda Fisher & Rebecca Bishop
Von Ralls & Bridgette Warren
Jason Grisson, 'Cassie', Andrew, & Christen Perry 24
April 2018
Jenny & Sam Wrigley
Cindy Garay & Danielle Burch A M E R I C A N
F A R M L A N D
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Donnie Chambliss & Bridgette Warren
IN MISSISSIPPI FOR MOST CELEBRATED MARKETS BY THE AMERICAN FARMLAND TRUST
OPENING DAY - SAT, APRIL 21
Richard Fobell & April Hilsdon myclickmag.com
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Olive Branch Arts Council
"Begin with Color" Exhibition Upcoming artists and onlookers alike were invited to partake in a free wine and cheese reception featuring local artist at the Olive Branch Arts Council’s unveiling of its “Begin with Color” exhibition at the Painted Pigeon Art Gallery.
March 15, 2018 Photos by Mike Lee
Allison Pruette
Lizz Bass, Jeanette Hollowel, Dena Richardson, & Janis Lewis
P.D. Funderburk 26
April 2018
Betty Puckett
Doris Thompson
Peggy Henderson
Emily Kunkle
Lisa Jackson myclickmag.com
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Les Passees Cabaret
"Venetian Masquerade” Memphis’ oldest nonprofit women’s organization, Les Passees, hosted its annual Cabaret Ball at Clark Tower on February 24, honoring its members and celebrating the end of another fiscal year. The organization’s “Living Ads” were on hand to provide outreach to corporate partners, all under the banner of an lively fete on the Venetian Grand Canal.
February 24, 2018 Photos by Mike Lee
Olivia Gardner & Olivia Yarborough
Alanna & Suzanne Oliphant
Barret Livesay, Janine Carney, & Isaac Whittington 28
April 2018
Kay Fields & Libby Rodriguez
Kathleen LaFlore & Sam Zalowitz
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26th Annual
Works of Heart More than 100 local artists contributed “Works of Heart” to the annual auction benefitting Memphis Child Advocacy Center. Guests were invited to gather at Memphis College of Art to bid on artwork, including pieces by Dolph Smith, Tootsie Bell, Maritza Davila, John McIntire, and NJ Woods. Joe Birch from Action News 5 hosted the event,while “heart sitter” volunteer stood by to offer additional information regarding featured artists.
February 10, 2018 Photos by Mike Lee
Chris & Lynn McDermott
Amber Plotner, Lindsay & Amy Gray
Teresa Bullock & Jana Travis 30
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Misty & David Lever
Brian & Molly Bernatsky
Cathy Ross & Precious Taylor
Corey & Michelle Epps
Jacob Allen & Markie Maloof myclickmag.com
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Cognac, Cars & Cigars Now in its third year, Cognac, Cars, & Cigars is an all-inclusive cigar and cognac tasting event. Martell supplied the Cognac, BeLeaf provided the cigars, and some of the hottest cars on the market were on deck.
March 3, 2018 Photos by Frank Chin
Leon Askew & Sarah Lewis
Cassandra & Rodney King
Connie Broadnax & Aizha Smith 32
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Evelyne Malone
Marilyn Maker & P.J. Taylor
Fred Burford & Karen Sanders
Chauniece Thompson & Stephanie Adams myclickmag.com
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Whiskey, Wine, and Chocolates at Botanic Garden Acclaimed chocolatier Phillip Ashley hosted a decadent Valentine’s Day celebration at Memphis Botanic Garden. Each one-of-a-kind chocolate creation was paired with a whiskey, wine, beer, or cocktail to create a unique sensory experience.
February 10, 2018 Photos by Frank Chin
Allison & Walter Person
Denise Butigan, Tabitha Garrett, & Jami Dennington
Vonesha Mitchell, & Tiffany Turner 34
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Janet Goode & Pickens
Matt & Heidi Kuhn
Bob & Lola Llewellyn
Katie Alexander & Shun Mosby
Chris & Naomi Kohl myclickmag.com
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Design Intervention Five Memphis Fashion Week makers to watch
From vibrant African prints to solid, classic pieces and casual-comfy chic, the Mid-South definitely has a style all its own. The work of these five featured designers can be seen during this month’s Memphis Fashion Week (April 11-14), a collection of events that features runway shows, in-depth talks with local fashion influencers and trunk shows.
Story by Mary Eckersley Photos by Jess Williams
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Tangie Seay Following a design from idea to product can be a tedious task not everyone has the drive or patience to tackle. For Tangie Seay, it is the satisfaction of experiencing something she created where there once was nothing that keeps her sewing. Not only is Seay here to pass along her creations, but to also pass along the love for making them to future generations.
CM: How did you get involved with fashion? Tangie Seay: I learned to sew from my mom when I was ten or eleven years old and I have been sewing on and off since then. I started professionally in 2015 making African print skirts for friends and posting those online. From those, I got referrals and more and more requests and it just took off. I have not stopped since. CM: How would you describe your aesthetic? TS: My aesthetic is that I love classic shapes and bright prints. My inspiration usually comes from shapes. I like structure and movement at the same time. Almost all of my pieces will have some element that is structured like a bodice or a cuff or collar and then some part that is a lot of movement like a wide skirt or sleeve with volume. I like to see the two together a lot. CM: What do like most about the fashion industry? TS: I love how there are so many options when it comes to fashion. Depending on where a person is in their life and their personality or what they do day in and day out, there’s different fashion. Fashion is very individual. For me, I love being an artist. I love creating whatever is on my mind. I try not to follow trends. For me, it is most fulfilling when I come up with something from concept to finish, create it with my hands and then see it on a person. CM: What does style mean to you? TS: Style is when someone can look at you on the outside and get a feeling of who you are on the inside. If someone looked at me, they would know that I like classic shapes and dark colors and that I am pretty laid back.
CM: Not only do you design clothes, but you also teach sewing workshops. How did you begin teaching? TS: As I was posting on social media, people would come to me and ask me to teach them how to sew. For the longest time I was like, “No, I am not ready.” Then one day after so many people had asked me I wondered if I could set up a workshop. So I found a location, had a workshop, sold out, and I have been teaching since. I do workshops and private lessons for people who cannot schedule a workshop or want that one-on-one attention. I love it when people learn how to sew and make something with their own hands. CM: So, in a way, these workshops work to empower attendees? TS: Yes, I think we [as a society] have strayed so far away from vocational and technical skills. Everyone is into science and business school—I was pushed to go to business school. It is so fulfilling to make something with your hands, to create something in space where there was nothing before; it is so rewarding. If someone is interested in it and wants to learn and is good at it, I just want to make them comfortable with it so that they can do it without me and keep creating. Hopefully they can teach someone to create later on also. When I do my sewing workshop, I tell them my background and that sewing is a lost art. We used to learn how to sew from our mothers and grandmothers and that go lost somewhere along the way. My goal is to teach everyone how to sew, so they can pass on that skill and teach other people how to sew. CM: What advice would you would give to aspiring designers? TS: Don’t be afraid to be yourself, and try to create everything you think of. When you’re an artist, there is no wrong creation. What you create is your art. For more information on Seay's designs, visit her website www.tangikabytangie.com or follow her on Instagram @tangikabytangie.
Designer: Tanganika by Tangie | IG: @tanganikabytangie | Web: www.tanganikabytangie.com Makeup: Nikki Chanel, Facegyrl | Accessories: David Quarles, IVJD Stylist: Devin Lester | Model: Monet Marshall
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Jenni Graham “If you look good, you feel good”—that is the motto of Jenni Graham of JChic Lifestyle. Known to some of her friends as “The Style Fairy,” Graham’s work is all about using fashion as a tool to express yourself to the world.
CM: What inspired you to create your business? Jenni Graham: My start in fashion came from I’ve always had a love of fashion and style. I used to draw designs on my notebook paper, style people in my head on TV, and my friends would call and ask what they should wear and what goes with what. I was always looking at fashion magazines and fashion shows and it started off very early for me. My mom was a designer and sewed all of our clothes, so growing up I always saw her getting a new sewing machine or making new clothes and it went with what I already knew I loved. Then as I got older I started first in a boutique, but wanted to create what I wanted so I started to sew and design on my own. I design pieces for the everyday woman, mainly custom clothes. CM: How would you describe your aesthetic? JG: I would describe my clothes as classy chic. I like statement things about an outfit, so it could be just that one thing like these puffy sleeves or a really wide, wide, wide, leg. I like flowy things and I also like what I call simple embellishments like a low, deep V in the back - something that gives it that pop. Classy chic with a twist would be the best way to describe my aesthetic. CM: What inspired your most recent collection? JG: For my recent resort chic collection, I was thinking about a woman who was going on a trip. She was going to get on a plane and she was going to go to Cabo or to Maui, but she does not want to look like everyone else. She wants to stand out, but not in a bad way. When I designed the collection it was all about the flow. You see the flowy wide leg, you see the maxi duster with the wide skirt. It was thinking about things that would be comfortable enough to wear when you are breezing around the resort, but also classy enough to dress it
up at night when you went out to dinner. It was inspired by all the different exotic resorts around the world and each piece has a name that I feel most closely relates to that piece. CM: Your brand talks about empowerment women through fashion. What does fashion mean to you and how it can be used in an empowering way? JG: I feel that sometimes, as women, we forget about ourselves. We pour so much of ourselves into others and let ourselves slip to the wayside. I believe that you feel better when you look better. There is a threestep process I use when I am designing for someone. First, I help them to identify their personal style. Second, I help them to enhance that personal style. Then, I help them portray that personal style to the world. It is all about helping each woman to believe that through my clothes and my image and the way that I look that I can show who I really am. CM: Is there anything you have learned since you first started designing? JG: Stay true to yourself, but you also have to sometimes take yourself out of it. I have an aesthetic; I am eclectic and quirky and like to mix vintage with modern—that is my style. Of course that is important for me to translate into my aesthetic, but it is important to know you have to adapt to what your customer may or may not like. You will know a J Chic piece, but I have to know what I want to bring forward for my client. I would tell anyone looking to enter the fashion industry to know that everyone is not your client, but when you do find out who that ideal client is you have to drill really far down. For more information on Graham's designs, you can visit her website http://www. jenuinelychic.com or follow her on social media @jchiclifestyle.
Designer/Wardrobe Stylist: Jenni Graham | Accessories: JCHIC Model: Kierra Monique | Makeup: Malkia Key myclickmag.com
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Monte Stewart Most women know the simple joy of wearing a well-worn men’s button down on a lazy weekend morning. That’s the feeling behind Beg + Borrow Apparel. Monte Stewart’s mission is to provide the same look and feel of a man’s favorite shirt in dresses custom fit for every woman. Stewart works alongside customers to design the perfect pattern and comfy fit behind each of his creations.
CM: What inspired you to pursue fashion? MS: During the summer of my junior year in high school, I had the opportunity to work in a local men’s clothing store in Mississippi. I enjoyed the interaction with customers and the process of helping them choose a wardrobe that was perfect for them. CM: What do you like about the fashion industry? MS: I love to see people with style. It really doesn’t matter what they wear, they make it look cool. I like taking a person who has absolutely no idea about what makes them look good and transforming them. The change in their body language is incredible. CM: What is something you’d like to change? MS: One thing I would like to change is giving creative people in fashion more of a chance to succeed. Coming up with an idea is the easiest part. Taking it from an idea to a business takes lots of work and money. I would like to see more venues like Memphis Fashion Design Network that provide guidance through the process. CM: How would you describe your aesthetic? MS: I would describe my aesthetic as practical. I’m not trying to re-invent anything or create the new fashion piece. I take each client and try to make them look and feel the very best they can.
CM: What inspires your designs? MS: My clients inspire my design because each client is different, and every client is the beginning of something new. My inspiration comes from taking their personality, their body type, and their ideas to create a style just for them. CM: How do you approach designing for women vs. designing for men? MS: The approach is the same. Usually, the client has a specific need or event they want to create for and it’s just a matter of working with each client to design what they are comfortable and happy with. It’s very important for me to get as much input as possible. It would be easy for me just to make something I think they would be happy with but it’s very important that each client ends up with a garment they are satisfied and happy with. Their input is so important to me that the only label in the finished garment is the clients’ name. They designed it, so their name should be the only one in it. CM: What does fashion mean to you? What does style mean to you? MS: Fashion is an expression of your personality. What you might not be able to communicate verbally, you can communicate with the way you look. Style to me is each person trying to express their feelings and attitude with the way they dress. For more information on Stewart's designs, you can visit his website http://www. begandborrowapparel.com or follow him on social media @begandborrowapparel.
Model: Lauren Draffin | Hair & make up: Matt Gossett | Muse: Styled by LD | Copper jewelry: Beg and Borrow | Custom Denim Dress: Beg and Borrow | Custom Sportcoat: Beg and Borrow
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Tiena Gwin Timeless designs for the modern woman are the bread and butter of Tiena Gwin’s body of work. Standing behind tailored, core wardrobe pieces, Gwin combats the world of “fast fashion” through her hand-crafted, small batch designs.
CM: What inspired you to pursue fashion? TG: It was a gift. Ever since I was a child, I was always flooded with ideas about clothes and fashion. After so long, I needed to do something with this because this was all I could think about. CM: When did you do your first collection and get involved with Memphis Fashion Week? TG: I did my first collection about four years ago. You have to submit sketches and I got picked. I always wanted to do, fashion and it was an opportunity for me to go ahead and start. CM: What is something you like most about the fashion industry and what is something you would like to change? TG: It is a place for pretty much anybody because everybody has got to wear clothes. If you have ideas and you have a voice, you can pretty much find a place in the industry. I would like to change “fast fashion” because people think, “Ok, I can buy a dress for $15 or $20.” That is really cheap [for the consumer], but it is costing somebody whether it is slave labor or cheap materials. It costs somebody. For someone who is doing real design work from idea to a complete product, there is no way you can do a design for $20. For independent designers or people who make a few pieces here and there, there’s no way they can sell a dress for even $50. It is really hard on a person that’s making clothes on a small scale.
CM: What advice would you give to someone aspiring to be a designer? TG: Do a lot of research. Stay true to yourself. Stay the course—you’ll have to believe in yourself when nobody else does. CM: How would you describe you aesthetic? TG: Very polished. Very finished. Very feminine. I focus a lot on detail. I would say it is for a sophisticated, classy woman. CM: What inspires your designs? TG: It is just something constantly pounding in my head. It could be something I dreamed about or I could be doing something and it just hits me. I am just being purely myself; I am not trying to copy off anybody. There is only one Tiena and, as long as I stay in that lane, I think that is what will separate me from everybody else. CM: What does mean to you versus what does style mean to you? TG: For me, fashion is more so about my gift and what I am passionate about and what I do. I eat, sleep, and breathe fashion. If I make a dress and two people wear that dress their own style can make it each completely different with accessories and their own personality. Style is the way a person would receive my design or garment, but that does not necessarily mean that a person is going to wear it that way. Everyone puts their individual twist on a garment. For more information on Gwin's designs, visit her website https://www.ttiena.com or follow her on social media @tienagwin.
Model: Kayla L. Thomas | Make-up Artist for the designer: Keyaira Horne (FB: Malkia Key) Designers’ Earrings: T I E N A | Social Media: IG: @tienagwin (Designer) | Model: IG: its.klt myclickmag.com
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Mary Ambrose Designer Mary Ambrose is known for her one-of-kind creations using upcycled bicycle inner-tube tires known as “trashion.” After winning the mini-collection category her first year participating in Memphis Fashion Week, this year people can see the seasoned designer going out on a limb in a conventional way with a full-fabric collection.
CM: How did you get involved with fashion? Mary Ambrose: The last time I had sewed was in 7th grade and I hated it—did not have the patience for it. My outfits did not turn out very good and I had to rip and start over often. [A few years ago] I had a garage sale and there was a gentleman looking around for silk flowers. I had a few I was willing to let go of from when I did catering, but he kept pressing asking if I had any more and he told me he was going to use them to do “trashion.” His name was Paul Thomas, and he called himself the “King of Trashion.” He encouraged me to get involved in the Memphis City Beautiful Trashion Show so I did and took runner-up next to him. That is really how my sewing started. Paul mentored me and I decided to take it a step further and I started doing Memphis Fashion Week. CM: What’s the transition from trashion to fashion been like? MA: When I first started, it was proving I could do it. Each year I am able to express myself more. This year I chose to do all fabric to show I can be taken seriously as a designer. I still do trashion and will be doing both Memphis Fashion Week and the Memphis Trashion Show coming up. CM: What do you look at for inspiration? MA: For Fashion Week the first year, I did birds and last year it was geishas, gothic geishas. This year, I got inspired by hoodoos. I researched them and let them inspire me using elements to create them with fabric taking ruffles and layers to create the levels.
CM: How would you describe your aesthetic? MA: I like pulling different things together like hard and soft. I like taking something soft and feminine and adding something hard like spikes that are edgy and sexy. I like things that are unexpected and you do not look away from sort of like accidents such as adding hair in my pieces. It is ugly, but beautiful—very light and dark. People say, “What is that doing there?” I like to think of my stuff as unique and most of what I make are one-of-a kind. It takes a certain person to wear my stuff sort of like it takes a certain person to be on a stage. CM: What advice would you give to aspiring designers? MA: There is a lot of work in fashion. You are always looking ahead to the next thing. I will come up with ideas in my head and write them down for future ideas. Sometimes I think of something and end up not liking it, so I put it down and come back to it for something else. Sometimes I take things apart and redo them as something else. The work is never finished; you can always go back and add things. I look at XYZ and like to add dimension to everything I do and will go back and revise and add details—it is all about the details. For more information on Ambrose's designs, follow her on Instagram @sissviss.
Photos courtesy of Mary Ambrose
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Experience Senatobia
ffb1.com 700 North Robinson | 662-562-7290
Blues for Sale Theo Dasbach’s densely packed shrine to all things Rock n’ Blues in Clarksdale, Mississippi, goes up for sale Story and photos by Casey Hilder
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A curious listing appeared in the pages of the Wall Street Journal, the nation’s largest newspaper by circulation, this past October. Among the usual mix of legal notices and automotive listings was a short, simple, five-line ad for announcing that the contents and the building Clarksdale, Mississippi’s Rock and Blues Museum was up for sale. The man behind that listing is Theo Dasbach, a 69-year-old selffashioned blues historian who hails from Apeldoorn, Holland. “I started collecting in 1978,” he says. “I was a disc jockey in the early Seventies, so I already had a lot of records. But then I started getting interested in not just the music but the art surrounding it: the derivative stuff. The posters, the contracts – those are always interesting to see how much they make – the clothes, everything.” 1978 was also the year Dasbach arrived in Memphis, and like so many visitors, he was immediately taken by the city, its residents, and the Blues. “It made me think of opening a museum myself later in life, so i started collecting and opened a museum in Holland in 1996,” he says. “I met my best friends in Memphis in 1978, bought a house in 1994, so logically i moved to the Memphis, when i had the chance.” Dasbach decided to open the Rock & Blues Museum in the Delta because of the area’s rich history in “the most bluesy town on earth,” otherwise known as Clarksdale, Mississippi. Dasbach’s listing announced the sale of a 4,200 square foot building with apartment, with approx. 3,000 of those square feet devoted to museum space. The price? Dasbach asks for a little less than a cool half a million at $499,000. “It’s not a business I’m selling here,” he says. “It’s a collection and a
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building, which are privately owned.” At 69 years old, Dasbach says he now “reluctantly” yearns for a different life with a little less day-to-day hustle than the life of volunteering for a museum offers. “We can’t do it physically anymore like we used to,” he says. “And I’m getting more tired of driving up and down from Memphis to here. It’s not only that we are getting older, but also that we have no children to leave it to.” Comprised of equal parts musical tribute, personal collection and teenager’s bedroom; nearly every era of American rock music is represented at the Rock and Blues Museum, though special attention is paid to the musical that made the regions and locals that made a lasting impact on the Clarksdale sound. Since its 2005 opening, the museum has drawn scores of locals and tourists alike, including more and more Dutch visitors. “The blues is just great music,” Dasbach says. “It’s got a worldwide appeal.” From Super Chikan to Jimmy “Duck” Holmes, the “Clarksdale Locals” wing is a shrine to the likes of R.L. Burnside, Liz Mandeville, Mr. Tater and Big Jack Johnson. Dasbach has personal memories of each featured performer, many of whom are no longer around to appreciate his handcrafted shrines. There’s an authenticity and realness to each piece in Dasbach’s collection, from guitars played and autographed by Selwyn Cooper and T-model Ford to a chair and sink from Wade Walton’s barbershop, faithfully recreated in a small corner of the museum. The chair, which has seated the likes of Robert Belfour and Pinetop Perkins, is among Dasbach’s favorite conversation pieces in the museum. “It had been stuck in storage
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for over 10 years because Wade owed somebody money,” he says. Dasbach built his collection over the past 40 years from trinkets picked up on roadie gigs, items donated by locals and large-scale & auction purchases. “Most of this stuff here comes directly from the hands of the artists,” he says. “The funny thing is, it doesn’t look that big till you get inside.” O t her at t r ac t ions i nclude a blacklight room featuring vintage Family Dog and Fillmore concert posters, a “Country Corner” devoted to country music artists like Jimmy Rodgers, and more modern and general music history section that includes a variety of memorabilia from the Beach Boys, Ritchie Valens, Buddy Holly, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles,Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and more. And of course, there’s Elvis. The music of the king of rock and roll is well documented in the Rock and Blues museum, in addition to a small section devoted to his film exploits through movie posters and old set photos. “He’s great in music, no one can deny that,” Dasbach says. “His movies, maybe not so much.” With thousands of items on display locked in handmade display cases crafted from MDF board and plywood and hundreds still in storage, Dasbach’s tradition of preserving history likely has to do with his youth in Holland. “Europeans are very much about keeping and preserving history,” he says. “It’s a big part of life. If you’re from Holland, you keep everything you’ve got.” Known to locals as “Boogieman,” Dasbach is just as much of an attraction as anything behind the glass at the Rock and Blues Museum. A musician himself, Dasbach has been known to close the doors of the Rock and Blues Museum for impromptu jam sessions with the
likes of Watermelon & the late T-Model Ford. “I’ve always love American music, ever since I was eight years old,” he says. Dasbach grew up in 1950s postWWII Holland listening to the blues through 78 RPM records played through his grandfather’s gramophone. “Of course, Holland was occupied by the Germans and liberated by the Americans around that time,” he says. “And when Americans made their way over, they brought their music along with them.” The war was an unexpected boon for a young Dasbach. He developed a voracious appetite for all things western music. Jump blues, mellow blues. Joe Turner, Floyd Dixon. Maybe even a little jazz for good measure. His early listening habits would eventually expand his horizons so much that he had no choice but to head to the United States in search of that perfect sound. And once he found it, the man couldn’t get enough. “My heart is always here in this collection,” he says. “That will never change.” A recent crown upon Dasbach’s work for more than 22 years is that the Rock & Blues Museum was recently voted number 5 of the 10 Best Mississippi attractions by USA Today’s Readers Choice Award. Today, Dasbach says he hopes that someone else will keep the blues heritage in the building alive and keep tourism flowing into Clarksdale in the future. “For more than 10 years, the Rock & Blues Museum has been locally known as the “Dutchman’s or Theo’s place,” he says. “I don’t want it to be known for that anymore. I want it to be known for the collection and the story the museum tells about the heritage of America’s best music.”
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START STRONG. FINISH STRONG. Complete your associate and bachelor’s degrees right here at home in DeSoto County.
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April 2018
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April 2018
See & Do
One event not to miss this month
Mississippi Ale House Brewfest
Photo by Autumn Mott
Saturday, April 7, 2018 9211 Hwy 178 Olive Branch, MS 38654
Beer lovers unite! Mississippi Ale House will be hosting its first-ever Brewfest on April 7. Breweries from all across the Magnolia State will be in attendance showcasing rare and unique specialty concoctions, as well as a few local favorites. Each guest will receive a 5-ounce tasting glass to roam the facilities and sample some of the best brews of the region, as well as grab a bite to eat from a variety of food trucks. Live musical entertainment for this event includes performances from Faith Evans Ruch and Gracie Curran & The High Falutin' Band.
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Starla Murphy Mortgage Loan Officer NMLS #484935 60 E Commerce St | Hernando, MS 38632 Office: (662) 449-2110 | Cell: (901) 489-1547 Starla.Murphy@bxs.com At BancorpSouth, we’ve been helping people buy and renovate their dream homes for almost 140 years. We offer a variety of mortgage types, and our mortgage lenders will ensure the process is painless. Plus, we feature an easy-to-use website with an online mortgage calculator and online applications, so we know you’ll be comfortable. When you want to turn a house into a home, you need someone you can trust like Starla.
Mortgages are subject to approval. This is not a commitment to lend or rate guarantee. Rates subject to change without notice. © 2018 BancorpSouth
BancorpSouth.com/Mortgage
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Drink
Bitter Lemon Spritz A simple blend of muddled fresh lemon, Angostura bitters, vodka, lemonade, and a splash of club soda make this spritz is festive, light, and dangerously delicious Photo & recipe courtesy of Serena Wolf
Ingredients
Instructions - Yields 1 Cocktail
1 lemon wedge, seeds removed (I like to use a quarter of a lemon cut into two smaller wedges) 2 dashes Angostura bitters 1.5 ounces vodka 3 ounces Tropicana Premium Lemonade 1 ounce club soda 1 sprig fresh rosemary
Add the vodka, lemonade and several ice cubes to the shaker and shake vigorously until chilled and frothy. Transfer the contents of the shaker to a rocks glass, add the club soda. (Add a few extra ice cubes if needed.) Serve with a rosemary sprig swizzle stick. Note: If you don't want the muddled lemon wedges in your glass, feel free to strain the cocktail!
Notes For a non-alcoholic cocktail, try replacing the rum with non-alcoholic ginger beer for a spicy kick or coconut water for a more tropical vibe. myclickmag.com
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Wild South
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes Aur) By Russ Thompson
It may be hard to find love for an unhandsome creature with unsavory eating habits like the turkey vulture, sometimes called the turkey buzzard. Let’s put appearances (and even unsavory eating habits) away for a second. Just think for a moment what it would be like if the sanitation workers did not pick up the trash for even a couple of weeks. Well, that’s similar to what the ecosystem would be like without these animals. The trash would pile up. These birds have very red necks and heads and their bodies are covered with mostly black feathers. Their flight feathers have darker linings with grey feathers underneath. They look a bit like a badly sunburned, crook-nosed person in a ruffly coat. Turkey vultures can be found all the way from Canada to the tip of South America. The northerndwelling birds migrate to warmer regions in the southeast and Central and South America. Want to know why their heads and necks are devoid of feathers? It’s so the feathers won’t get too soiled when they feed on rotting carcasses. Hope you didn’t just lose your lunch. Turkey vultures are one of many scavengers that help clean up our roadsides and forests and rid it of, well, dead things. It might be best not to imagine what our highways might look like if they didn’t exist. Road kill means its chow time and turkey vultures are quick to arrive on the scene. So, they f ind the dead stuff (scientists try to make it sound better by calling it carrion) as they soar over forests or more open landscapes to see if there are any other scavengers that have found something. You can recognize them pretty easily because they rarely
flap their long wings, which have a ‘v’ shape. Probably the most unique thing about these birds is their keen sense of smell, something other birds don’t possess. This can also guide them to the scene of the crime. When you think of vultures, your first thought probably isn’t that they are good dancers, but it’s true. When it comes time for turkey vultures to pair up, they spread their wings and begin to hop up and down. After they pair up they often take to the air and copy each other as they dive and soar. Now that puts even the most accomplished square dancers to shame. When they do pair up, they form long-term bonds with both the male and females taking turns incubating the eggs, so there’s no pawning this task off on the mothers. Once eggs hatch, there are usually about two of them. The young are fed when both parents regurgitate food for them. There’s just no survival method too gross for the turkey vulture. After about twelve weeks, the young birds leave the nest and often join up with other young vultures that live together. Another unique thing about these birds is the way they cool themselves off. They will actually defecate on their own legs! When the water in the feces evaporates, it has a cooling effect on them. Seems like a dip in a cool stream would be more sanitary, but that’s not the turkey vulture’s MO. It may be hard to love an animal that eats dead stuff, regurgitates food for its young, and defecates on its own feet, but all of these things make the animal successful if not loveable. For both the environment and ourselves, they are nature’s clean up crew.
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CAR SHOW
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