Oxford Magazine March April 2022

REAL ESTATE EDITION

COTTAGE RENOVATION BASKETBALL STANDOUTS

MARCH/APRIL 2022 OxfordMag.com Volume 6 | Issue 2 $4.95

OXFORD WATERCOLOR ARTIST

MAKING OXFORD HOME

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FEATURES

REAL ESTATE EDITION 27

NEIGHBORHOOD GUIDE 38

REAL ESTATE TRENDS IN OXFORD FROM TOP EXPERTS 40 Q&A WITH DEVELOPER OF OXFORD COMMONS 46

REAL ESTATE DIRECTORY FROM NORTH MISSISSIPPI BOARD OF REALTORS

2 March/April 2022

30

FIRING UP THE OXFORD MUSIC SCENE

42

HOME MAKEOVER IN OXFORD

OM in every issue

arts

& culture

11 Meet the Artist, Ginny Terry

food

& drink

6 Contributors 8 The Guide

7 From the Editor 35 Books

16 Rosati’s Owner Brings Taste of Chicago To Oxford

53 Out and About

school & sports

62 Marketplace

60 Said and Done

20 Lead by Example, Oxford Highschool Seniors Breakout Season

OxfordMag.com 3

contributors EDITORIAL Maya Martin Jake Davis

CONTRIBUTORS

Lauren Jones Joey Brent Lyn Roberts Mary Kelley Zellesky Davis Coen Jim Dees

Mary Kelley, Writer

Mary Kelley “Originally from Houston, TX, Mary Kelley studied print journalism at Ole Miss. During her time in Oxford, she wrote for The Daily Mississippian and continued her love for writing at the Vail Daily while living in Vail, CO. She now gets to continue pursuing her passion by contributing stories about arts, food and travel.”

DESIGN

Allison Dale

MARKETING Amelia Miller Olivia Nash

Joey Brent, Photographer

Joey Brent is a local photographer in Oxford, MS.

ADMINISTRATION

Rebecca Alexander, Publisher Nikki Buford

Lyn Roberts, book expert

Lyn Roberts, book expert : Lyn Roberts has been general manager at Square Books for more than 20 years and can usually be found behind the counter at Off Square Books.

Davis Coen, Writer

Davis Coen is a freelance writer and newspaper reporter from Oxford by way of South Carolina. He’s had stories published in various local publications including Oxford Eagle, Oxford Citizen and Daily Journal. He also maintains a music career with over a dozen tours of Europe and regular airplay on SiriusXM Satellite Radio.

4 March/April 2022

from the editor

“W ON THE COVER

“We get to live here.” It’s a phrase you hear around Oxford, and you might have said it yourself. It is something that perfectly describes an afternoon at Swayze Field; a night out on the Square, a drive down narrow, hilly streets with a spring green tree canopy overhead; or a trip to the Old Armory Farmers Market.

For part-timers, Oxford is a place to study, a charming town for a weekend getaway, or an exciting road trip for Ole Miss sporting events. Residents who live here full time appreciate a place unlike any place else in Mississippi.

Often referred to as a bubble, because just outside are regular perfectly charming Southern towns, but there is something about the vibe in Oxford that is sophisticatedly different.

Our March/April edition of Oxford Magazine is about making Oxford home. Lafayette County grew 17% in the past 10 years according to the latest census. We can expect that trend to continue with more people calling Oxford home. You’ll find the North Central Mississippi Board of Realtors member directory as here as a good resource for people looking to buy or sell. In addition, we asked the experts in Oxford real estate to share what they see today as trends in the market for first-time home buyers, retirees, second home buyers and more.

We are impressed with Oxford artist Ginny Terry, and her portraits of people. Her art graces the walls of many homes in Oxford and the region.

You get a sneak peek at her home studio and some of her miniature works of art.

Our regular magazine departments include a story on Oxford High School basketball players who are taking their final shots on the court. For events, we welcome our favorite arts festival Double Decker back for the first time since 2019. This issue also has several new food features and a feature on a local band. We hope you enjoy this edition of Oxford Magazine.

Rebecca Alexander Publisher rebecca.alexander@oxfordeagle.com

Ginny Terry

Oxford artist Photo by Joey Brent Design by Allison Dale

OxfordMag.com 5

6 March/April 2022

OxfordMag.com 7

WHAT TO DO IN OXFORD OXFORD COMMUNITY MARKET Old Armory Pavilion - Open to the public March 1 | 12 - 3 p.m.

PROUD LARRY’S PRESENTS… THE DELTAZ Proud Larry’s - Free, 18+ March 2 | 7:30 p.m.

DUMPLINGS IN MARCH YŪGŌ Oxford - $30 Tickets March 3 | 6 - 7 p.m.

FIRST FRIDAY FREE SKETCH DAY University Museum - Free March 4 | 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

THE JUNIOR AUXILIARY OF OXFORD PRESENTS CHARITY BALL 2022 The Country Club of Oxford - $75 tickets March 5 | 7 p.m.

THE END OF ALL MUSIC 10TH ANNIVERSARY AT PROUD LARRY’S Proud Larry’s - $10 tickets, 18+ March 5 | Doors: 8 p.m. / Show: 9 p.m.

HAYDEN PEDIGO SHOW SUNDAY The End of All Music - $15 tickets, all ages March 6 | 5 p.m.

“LANGUAGE AS MUSIC … ” WITH DR. ALLEN CLARK Tupelo Room, Barnard Observatory March 7 | 6 - 9 p.m.

MARCH 23 - 27

Oxford Film Festival 6 p.m.

OxFilm is eager to announce their 19th Annual Oxford Film Festival that will take place March 23-27, 2022 in Oxford, MS. Named a Top 50 Film Festival worth the entry fee over several years by MovieMaker magazine, Oxford Film Festival exhibits over 200 quality films from across the globe and has been praised for its hospitality. In 2008, the Oxford Film Festival became an independent non-profit organization with 501c3 status committed to celebrating the art of independent film. For more information on the Oxford Film Festival, visit the website at www.ox-film. com/oxford-film-festival.

OXFORD COMMUNITY MARKET Old Armory Pavilion - Open to the public March 8 | 12 - 3 p.m.

WEST COAST WINES The Sipp on South Lamar - $30 tickets March 9 | 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.

PROUD LARRY’S PRESENTS… LEE BAINS III & THE GLORY FIRES Proud Larry’s - $10 tickets, 18+ March 9 | Doors: 7:30 p.m. / Show: 8:30 p.m.

PROUD LARRY’S PRESENTS… DRUNKEN PRAYER AND THE GREAT DYING Proud Larry’s - Free, 18+ March 10 | Doors: 8 p.m. / Show: 9 p.m.

OXFORD COMMUNITY MARKET Old Armory Pavilion - Open to the public March 15 | 12 - 3 p.m.

PROUD LARRY’S PRESENTS… AMERICAN AQUARIUM WITH MARGO CILKER Proud Larry’s - $17-100 tickets, 18+ March 16 | Doors: 8 p.m. / Show: 9 p.m.

PROUD LARRY’S PRESENTS… JERRY JOSEPHY WITH ERIC MARTINEZ Proud Larry’s - $15 tickets, 18+ March 17 | Doors: 8 p.m. / Show: 9 p.m.

PROUD LARRY’S PRESENTS… SHAMARR ALLEN

8 March/April 2022

WHAT TO DO IN OXFORD Proud Larry’s - Free, 18+ March 18 | 9 p.m.

PROUD LARRY’S PRESENTS… THE 5TH ANNUAL JESSE RAY LIPE MEMORIAL CONCERT Proud Larry’s - Free, 18+ March 19 | 9 p.m.

PROUD LARRY’S PRESENTS… BBYMUTHA Proud Larry’s - $16 tickets, 18+ March 21 | Doors: 8 p.m. / Show: 9 p.m.

MARCH 30 - APRIL 1

Oxford Conference for the Book The Oxford Conference for the Book is returning to Oxford and the University of Mississippi campus on March 30, 31, and April 1, 2022, as an in-person event, with special partnerships with the Willie Morris Awards in Southern Writing and the National Book Foundation, the administrators of the National Book Awards.

Confirmed participants include Imani Perry (South to America), Kate Clifford Larson (Walk with Me: A Biography of Fannie Lou Hamer), Ralph Eubanks (A Place Like Mississippi: A Journey through a Real and Imagined Literary Landscape), Robert Jones Jr. (The Prophets) and Jason Mott (A Hell of a Book), poets Marcus Amaker (The Birth of All Things) and Marcella Sulak (City of Skypapers), and Raven Leilani (Luster), with readings by the Willie Morris Awards winners in Fiction and Poetry.

Additional authors and panelists will be announced in the coming weeks.

Keep an eye on the conference website, www.oxfordconferenceforthebook.com, for information on special events and news on authors participating in the upcoming Twenty-Eighth Oxford Conference for the Book.

Make your plans to attend now!

OXFORD COMMUNITY MARKET Old Armory Pavilion - Open to the public March 22 | 12 - 3 p.m.

PROUD LARRY’S PRESENTS… ROCK EUPORA WITH THE PRESCRIPTIONS Proud Larry’s - $10 tickets, 18+ March 22 | Doors: 8 p.m. / Show: 9 p.m.

BLIND WINES The Sipp on South Lamar - $30 tickets March 23 | 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.

NAMI FAMILY & FRIENDS MENTAL HEALTH SEMINAR St. Peter’s Episcopal Church - Free March 24 | 12 - 1 p.m.

TOP GOLF LIVE Vaught-Hemingway Stadium - $40 for students, $65 adult tickets March 24 - 27 | 3:45 - 4:30 p.m.

MINI MASTERS: MODERN MARVELS University Museum - For ages 2-5, $5 tickets per family March 24 | 3:45 - 4:30 p.m.

BEETHOVEN’S 9TH: ODE TO JOY Gertrude C. Ford Center - $24 faculty/staff, $10 students, $30 public March 24 | 7:30 - 9 p.m.

SPRING 2022 SALE Oxford Activity Center - Open to the public March 25-26 | 7 a.m.

PROUD LARRY’S PRESENTS… HAPPY LANDING WITH HOTEL FICTION Proud Larry’s - $10 tickets, 18+ March 25 | Doors: 8 p.m. / Show: 9 p.m.

APRIL 5

Presidio Brass …

And All That Bass 7:30 - 9 p.m.

Gertrude C. Ford Center - $24 faculty/staff, $10 students, $30 public

OXFORD COMMUNITY MARKET Old Armory Pavilion - Open to the public March 29 | 12 - 3 p.m.

MUSEUM MILKSHAKE MASH-UPS University Museum - For middle schoolers & teens, free March 31 | 4:15 - 5:15 p.m.

KAPPA PSI CRAWFISH BOIL Oxford-Lafayette County Public Library - $13 tickets March 31 | 7 - 10 p.m.

OxfordMag.com 9

WHAT TO DO IN OXFORD FIRST FRIDAY FREE SKETCH University Museum - Free April 1 | 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

PROUD LARRY’S PRESENTS… PRISCILLA BLOCK Proud Larry’s - $10 tickets, 18+ April 1 | Doors: 8 p.m. / Show: 9 p.m.

PROUD LARRY’S PRESENTS… SAM MOONEY FEATURING THE HIGHLAND RIM Proud Larry’s - $10-12 tickets, 18+ April 2 | Doors: 8 p.m. / Show: 9 p.m.

PROUD LARRY’S PRESENTS… GRIFFIN HOUSE Proud Larry’s - $20 tickets, 18+ April 6 | Doors: 7 p.m. / Show: 8 p.m.

PROUD LARRY’S PRESENTS… THELMA AND THE SLEAZE WITH W8ING4UFOS AND WILL GRIFFITH Proud Larry’s - $10 tickets, 18+ April 7 | Doors: 7 p.m. / Show: 8 p.m.

MINI MASTERS: COLOR YOUR WORLD University Museum - For ages 2-5, $5 tickets per family April 21 | 3:45 - 4:30 p.m.

PROUD LARRY’S PRESENTS… KUDZU KINGS Proud Larry’s - $20 tickets, 18+ April 22 | Doors: 8 p.m. / Show: 9 p.m.

PROUD LARRY’S PRESENTS… MAGGIE ROSE Proud Larry’s - $15-20 tickets, 18+ April 23 | Doors: 8:30 p.m. / Show: 9:30 p.m.

AN AMERICAN IN PARIS, NATIONAL TOUR Gertrude C. Ford Center - $24 faculty/staff, $10 students, $30 public April 26 | 7:30 - 10 p.m.

MUSEUM MILKSHAKE MASH-UPS University Museum - For middle schoolers & teens, free April 28 | 4:15 - 5:15 p.m.

PROUD LARRY’S PRESENTS… GOOD MORNING Proud Larry’s - $15 tickets, 18+ April 28 | Doors: 8 p.m. / Show: 9 p.m.

OLE MISS WOMEN’S COUNCIL PRESENTS RIVER RUTHERFORD @ THE LYRIC The Lyric Oxford - $50 tickets, Under 18 with guardian April 29 | Doors: 6:30 p.m. / Show: 7 p.m.

PROUD LARRY’S PRESENTS… HEARTLESS BASTARDS Proud Larry’s - $20-25 tickets, 18+ April 29 | Doors: 7:30 p.m. / Show: 8:30 p.m.

10 March/April 2022

APRIL 22 - 23

25th Annual Double Decker Arts Festival 6 p.m.

The award-winning 25th Annual Double Decker Festival will take place April 22nd-23rd, 2022 on the historic Oxford Square in Oxford, MS. Originally inspired by the Double Decker bus that Oxford imported from England in 1994, the festival showcases Oxford as a town that supports the arts and has grown to be one of the champion events in the region. Double Decker started with the bed of an old pickup truck serving as the stage for music, and only hosted a handful of art and food vendors. Today, the event is centered around the Square and boasts a crowd of more than 60,000 people.

In a two-day format, Double Decker will kick-off on Friday with art demonstrations around the Square and the evening with Thacker Mountain Radio hosting a live broadcast complete with music. Saturday is an all-day affair featuring over 100 art and 20+ local food vendors while a generous mix of touring musicians like The Revivalists, Brett Young, Mavis Staples and Trombone Shorty take to the stage.

For more information about the festival, contact Visit Oxford at 662-232-2477 or leeann@visitoxfordms.com.

ARTS

& CULTURE

BY LAUREN JONES PHOTOS BY JOEY BRENT

OxfordMag.com 11

A

As you stand in awe, eyeing the breathtaking watercolor work of Ginny Terry, one would rightly assume that she grew up with a paintbrush in hand.

However, all the more impressive, the wife, mother, and Oxford local did not discover her hidden talent as an artist until her youngest child left home for college in 2017.

Although she enjoyed her share of Art-History courses in college and has always had a creative edge, Ginny had never taken an art class, nor did she consider herself artistically skilled in that way.

“In 2017 I attended a slideshow presentation by retired ophthalmologist, Dr. Jim Rayner. He impressed upon us how possible it is to take up an

12 March/April 2022

entirely new hobby at any time and excel at it. I believe this was when the seed was planted in me to try,” Ginny explained.

“It was important to me to start at the beginning, which meant learning to draw. Local landscape painter and friend, Robert Malone, suggested that I begin with a workbook of exercises called Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. I took my time with that, really enjoyed it, and practiced my drawing skills.”

While still enjoying her new hobby of drawing, Ginny decided to take another leap and attend a YAC workshop taught by painter Debbie Myers.

“Debbie challenged me to paint my first portrait. I was intimidated to say the least.

“It was important to me to start at the beginning, which meant learning to draw. Local landscape painter and friend, Robert Malone, suggested that I begin with a workbook of exercises called Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. I took my time with that, really enjoyed it, and practiced my drawing skills.”

OxfordMag.com 13

Painting a human face is terrifying,” the artist emphasized.

“If your feature placement is off even by a hair's width you will lose likeness. But I was hooked.”

Ginny’s talent was quickly unveiled after her very first portrait she did of her son, which still stands as her favorite piece thusfar.

Although she would love to experiment with oils someday, watercolors have her heart for many reasons.

“I love the challenge of harnessing the water, making it go where I want it to.

Paradoxically, much of the fun of watercolors 14 March/April 2022

are the happy accidents that occur when the water does not do what you want it to,” she explains.

With watercolor not requiring noxious chemical solvents or a lot of drying time, Ginny is able to commission most of her pieces at the comfort of her kitchen island, with special lighting.

“I like it because I can get up to stir a pot on the stove or answer the door, and when my family is around I can work while they are buzzing around. Despite it getting messy at times, my husband agrees it's worth it. We enjoy being ‘alone together’,” explains Ginny.

Although a lot of planning goes into a

watercolor portrait, Ginny says she does not take her beloved hobby for granted.

“I have as much time as I want to paint and that is a wonderful thing. I know how fortunate I am. Many of my artist friends are either working full time or have small children that they are trying to work around.”

The talented artist was especially grateful to have painting to focus on throughout the pandemic and wants to inspire others to take the time to try new things.

“I would like for people to know that there may be a potential in them that hasn't been realized. Some pondering and careful listening may well bring it to light. For me painting has been a small miracle, a treasured gift to open in the second half of life.”

Ginny Terry is currently open for commissions and can be found on facebook, or on instagram @ginnyterry.

OxfordMag.com 15

& DRINK

FOOD

Bigcozy flavors, settings Rosati's brings Chicago to Oxford

BY MARY KELLEY ZELESKEY PHOTOS BY JOEY BRENT 16 March/April 2022

W

With Italian recipes and rich family history dating back to 1895, Rosati's authentic Chicago-style pizza offers big flavors in a cozy setting. The family history and Italian themes is what originally attracted owner Scott Whitaker to bring the Roasti’s concept to Oxford. “For me, after traveling over the years to Chicago, I’ve eaten in most of the big name restaurants up there, and I always have a Chicago deep-dish pizza at least once, but they really are more known for their thin crust,” said Whitaker.

Offering both deep-dish and thin crust pizza, the Rosatis’ recipes have been passed down from generation to generation.

Beginning when the family’s first Italian restaurant and pizzeria was opened on Coney Island by Italian immigrant Ferdinand Rosati, Rosati later opened a similar concept in Chicago in 1906. His son, Saverio Rosati, followed in his father’s footsteps in 1927 and opened his own Italian restaurant in Chicago, where Al Capone and his entourage could be seen enjoying pasta dishes. It wasn’t until 1978 that the Rosati family began franchising their restaurants.

Rosati’s opened its doors on North Lamar Boulevard in the summer of 2021, bringing a variety of traditional Italian dishes with an emphasis on Chicago-style pizza. “It was OxfordMag.com 17

really important to us to do something in the downtown area. We wanted to have a unique concept but something that would really add to the options here”, said Davis Brown, one of the managers of Rosati’s in Oxford. “I think we have been able to accomplish that”.

All of the Rosati’s restaurants pride themselves on sourcing fresh ingredients and staying true to the rich family history. With authentic sauces, like marinara and alfredo, made daily in Chicago and shipped directly to Oxford every week, the dishes remain fresh and unique. “You can’t get our sauces at the grocery store. You can’t get substitutes for what we have here”, said Whitaker.

“This is all proprietary items, which

18 March/April 2022

OxfordMag.com 19

& SPORTS

SCHOOL

BY JAKE DAVIS PHOTOS BY BRUCE NEWMAN

Lead by

example

Trio of seniors earns respect at OHS 20 March/April 2022

“I

"If somebody has a son like them they're lucky parents, because they're great kids and they're good basketball players."

Oxford High School boys basketball head coach Drew Tyler heaped plenty of praise on his three seniors following the team's 92-59 loss to Center Hill in the first round of the MHSAA Class 6A state playoffs.

Tyler, who was recently named a finalist for the NHSACA National Basketball Coach of the Year award, said he could not be more proud of the way his veterans handled themselves this season. The longtime Oxford head coach addressed him team after their season ended, telling his underclassman to look to the example set both on and off the court by seniors Omari Frierson, Jacquez Elliot and Baylor Savage.

"We talked to our underclassman about our three seniors; Frierson, Elliot and Savage," Tyler said. "[We] talked about what they've done for this program.

They've started every game this season and they've done a heck of a job representing themselves, our team and our school for more than just this year."

The senior trio persevered through a lot during their time at Oxford, including a global pandemic and the school's worst season since Tyler took over the program in 1997. Through it all, they developed a bond on the basketball court that helped them bounce back with a 17-win senior campaign punctuated with a victory over Grenada in the Class 6A Region 1 consolation game on Feb. 11 that secured their 24th consecutive playoff appearance.

"Those seniors, Savage, Frierson and Elliot, they've really bonded together and done a great job leading this team," Tyler said.

They complement each other well on the court, combining consistent perimeter shooting with highlevel rim pressure to keep opposing defenses on their heels.

Savage, a 6-foot-3 spot-up shooter, hit the secondmost three-pointers on the team this season. He caught fire near the end of the year, sinking two or more shots from beyond the arc in four of the Chargers final six games. He finished the season averaging 7.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.

He played his best game of the season when it mattered most, scoring 19 points on 6-7 shooting from the field in the Chargers' consolation game win over Grenada. The senior forward knocked down five of his six attempts from deep, opening up driving lanes for teammates and leaving the opposing defense scrambling.

He was unable to find the bottom of the net in the Chargers' playoff loss to Center Hill however, scoring just two points and failing to register a field goal make OxfordMag.com 21

against a Mustang defense that kept him from getting open looks all night.

"Baylor had a good run here at the end of the year so I hated that it ended that way for him," Tyler said after the loss. "It was frustrating, Baylor not scoring and having two fouls... they were really guarding him on the perimeter."

Elliot was the engine of the Chargers' offense, providing highlevel rim pressure and orchestrating the action from the point guard position. The 6-foot point guard attacked the rim with reckless abandon, drawing fouls and getting to the line more than any other Oxford player.

He recorded a career-high 25 points and five assists on 7-8 shooting in the win over Grenada on Feb. 11.

He got to the line over and over again, going a perfect 10-10 from the charity stripe.

"He's had to wear a lot of different hats on the team this season as far as being our leader on the floor," Tyler said of Elliot. "I put a lot on Jac's shoulders as far as being our point guard, quarterback on the floor, our leader. He's done a heck of a job leading this team from that point guard spot."

Frierson, an athletic combo forward, was the second-leading

22 March/April 2022

rebounder for an undersized Oxford squad that struggled to contend with taller, more athletic opponents. The 6-foot-2 Frierson did a little of everything on the court for the Chargers, providing shooting, rebounding and defense all while attacking the rim with strength and explosiveness.

He played his best game of the season in a loss to Coffeeville on Feb. 1, scoring 22 points and hauling in nine rebounds as the Pirates keyed in on leading scorer D.J. Davis. Frierson shot 9-14 from the field while playing ferocious defense, nabbing three steals and blocking two shots in a dominant performance.

The senior forward was named to the Class 6A Region 1 Second-Team after averaging 12.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists.

The Chargers will likely turn to Davis and fellow sophomore Miles Luber to shoulder even more of the scoring load after the departure of their star trio. Juniors Drew Carter, Jake Marsh and Jackson Myatt are all capable three-point shooters who will also be asked to take on larger roles in the offense.

Next year's squad will look very different in both roster composition and style, as Oxford pivots to a more perimeter-oriented game.

The

Chargers will struggle on defense after losing two of their best defenders in Elliot and Frierson, but Tyler says he is looking forward to coaching a dynamic offensive team capable of making it rain from beyond the arc.

"They have the ability to score from the perimeter. We're going to have to change our style of play simply because of a lack of quickness, but we have the ability to score anywhere in the half-court set on the perimeter," he said. "It's going to be a fun team to watch next year.

OxfordMag.com 23

RECIPES

CARAMEL CAKE

ICING

BY KATHLEEN ROWSLEY

INGREDIENTS 2 sticks oleo (Parkay Original, not light) 2 3/12 cups sugar 1 cup Pet evaporated Milk 1 T. Karo 1T. corn starch dissolved in a little of the milk DIRECTIONS Brown another ½ cup sugar in a small skillet. Heat the solution just to a boiling stage. Add the browned sugar to the solution.

Use a clock with a second hand, boil hard on high 1 minute, 45 seconds, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir until all is dissolved. Then I set my pan in the sink of cold water until it is thick enough to stick to cake stirring from time to time. This will take 30-45 minutes. Don’t give up! (Kathleen uses a Duncan Hines yellow cake mix for her cake. The timing is very important.

This makes wonderful caramel fudge.) Add peanuts or other nuts, pour in 8-inch buttered pan. You don’t have to wait for it to thicken to do this. It will thicken on its own.

24 March/April 2022

$2.50 Margaritas with the purchase of a meal OxfordMag.com 25

52 November/December 2021

26 March/April 2022

OxfordMag.com 27

RECIPES

SLOW ROAST

FOR EASTER SUNDAY

Easter Sunday dinners are a tradition in many families. Perhaps no food is more closely associated with Easter than lamb. This recipe for “Slow-roasted Shoulder of Lamb With Cumin Seeds” from Darina Allen’s “Easy Entertaining” (Kyle Cathie Limited) can make for a delicious Easter dinner.

Slow-roasted Shoulder of Lamb With Cumin Seeds Serves 8 to 10 2 tablespoons cumin seeds 1 whole shoulder of lamb on the bone (7-8 lbs.)

Salt and freshly ground pepper Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling For the cumin gravy: 1 pint homemade lamb or chicken stock (see below) 28 March/April 2022

1 to 2 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted and ground Roux (optional) Warm the cumin seeds lightly in a pan, then crush them using a pestle and mortar. Score the skin of the meat in a diamond pattern with a sharp knife. Transfer to a roasting tin. Sprinkle the meat with salt, pepper and the ground cumin seeds, and drizzle with olive oil.

Roast for 6-7 hours at 275 F — this gives a delicious, juicy, succulent texture. (Alternatively, preheat the oven to 320 F and roast for 2-21⁄2 hours.) Transfer to a serving dish and leave in a warm place while you make the gravy.

To make the cumin gravy, spoon the fat off the roasting tin. Add the stock to the remaining cooking juice. Boil for a few minutes on top of the stove, stirring and scraping the tin well to dissolve the caramelized meat juices (a small whisk is typi-

cally ideal for this). Add the ground t Thicken with a little roux if you like. T salt and pepper if needed. Pass thro and transfer to a gravy boat.

Carve the meat into thick slices so body gets some crushed cumin seed the cumin gravy and crusty roast pot Note: For Lamb Roast with Corian coriander seeds for the cumin seeds roasting the limb and flavoring the g tively, use a mix of cumin and corian Note: A shoulder of lamb is much carve than a leg, but it’s so sweet an certainly worth the struggle.

Homemade Chicken Stock 2 to 3 raw or cooked chicken or a both 1 onion, sliced

LAMB

Y DINNER

toasted cumin.

Taste and add ough a sieve

o that everyds. Serve with otatoes. nder: Substitute s, both for gravy. Alternander seeds. trickier to nd juicy that is

a mixture of

1 leek, split in two 1 outside stick of celery (not the heart, the coarser outside stalks) or 1 lovage leaf 1 carrot, sliced 6 peppercorns 6 pints cold water Sprig of thyme Giblets from the chicken, i.e. neck, heart, gizzard (save the liver for another dish) Few parsley stalks Chop up the chicken as much as possible.

Put all the ingredients into a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and skim the fat off the top with a tablespoon. Simmer for 3-5 hours. Strain and remove any remaining fat. If you need a stronger flavor, boil down the liquid in an open pan to reduce the volume by one-third or one-half. Do not add salt.

OxfordMag.com 29

ARTS

& CULTURE

Firing up the Oxford music scene

BY DAVIS COEN SUBMITTED PHOTOS 30 March/April 2022

A

After a long lull in their live performances, Oxford rock band Southern Groove Redemption is finally back into the swing of things.

It’s common that musicians, who are skilled at multiple instruments, come from musical backgrounds - as opposed to just randomly developing such a versatile approach to the craft. Southern Groove Redemption’s (SGR) lead singer, guitarist and principal songwriter Zechariah Lloyd Tillotson (also known as Zach), is no exception to that trend.

“My parents were both musicians,” said Tillotson, a native of Vicksburg who relocated to Oxford in 2009. His purpose of moving was admittedly to follow a girl, but he eventually became enrolled in classes at Ole Miss, and his path began heading in an unexpected direction. WIth him, he brought a lifetime of experience, having always been around the musicians in his family.

“My mom played in the church growing up, my dad played drums, and my uncle was a drummer, so I woke up to my mom playing piano every day, and always had a drum kit set up at the house.”

Tillotson remembered starting on drums around the age of 11 or 12, and then being on the drumline in high school, and then subsequently in college. “Sometime during college, I picked up the guitar and started playing and writing,” he said.

Also, it wasn’t until 2013 that he started trying to pursue playing and singing, “as something for myself,” he simply put it. “I’d done the drum thing forever, and still did it at that time.”

He reflected on the year that he first arrived into town, as somewhat more of a vibrant time for the city's musical culture. This is an argument that many folks who have lived

OxfordMag.com 31

in the community for over a decade, strongly uphold. There were simply more venues then, willing to host live music on and around the Square, than there are today. Ajax Diner, The Blind Pig, Parrish Baker Pub and Two Stick, were among those hiring bands to perform on a regular basis around the time of Tillotson’s arrival on the scene.

Ironically, the state’s blue laws regarding alcohol sales were a little stricter then, but there were more opportunities to catch live music 32 March/April 2022

because of more venue options.

“The music community here was so tight knit back then, and at the same time really welcoming,” said Tillotson.

“It was easier to put a gig together because everybody was playing with everyone - and I got to know a bunch of people here really quickly.”

Regarding the band’s ear-grabbing and standout name, Tillotson said, simply: “It just sounded good.” He had envisioned forming a band cut out of the same cloth as classic 1970s Southern

rockers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Molly Hatchet and The Allman Brothers, all known for having multiple - sometimes dueling electric guitars, and the name turned out to be a good fit.

He credits drummer John Bonham, of the groundbreaking British hard rock group Led Zeppelin, as his greatest influence starting out, after borrowing his uncle's copy of Led Zeppelin II on vinyl, and listening on what he described as, “one of those old record players, with the earphones attached.”

Tillotson said, “I would sit in his room trying to figure out what he (Bonham) was doing … that double-kick stuff, with the single bass drum pedal; that was always wild to me. He was my biggest drum influence, for sure.”

Two standout cover versions, that Tillotson said he will always look forward to playing in live sets, are Skynyrd’s radio friendly “Gimme Three Steps,” and a rendition of “I’m a Ram,” written and famously recorded by legendary soul and gospel singer Al Green in the early 70s.

As far as his own material, Tillotson said he’s planning to meet with a production company in March to discuss the prospect of a studio recording project.

Among potential songs for the album, are originals titled, “Peaches,” “Hard Time Livin’,” and “Change is Comin’.” The latter, is a swampy and bluesy, tranceinducing guitar and vocal based song, written about the mother of his now nearly teenage son, and the changes he went through after they split up. “I was in a rough spot and my life, and a lotta things OxfordMag.com 33

were changing, and ya know, I just tried to lean into the change.”

Becoming Southern Groove Redemption Guitarist and singer, Jason Cain, grew up in Brandon but spent years of his adulthood in Nashville, TN, Gainesville, FL and Austin, TX, before eventually returning to his home state, simply by coincidence and, much like Tillotson, following his non-musical pursuits. After getting his PhD at the University of Florida, he moved back to be a professor at Ole Miss. “I moved here really for the job, more than anything,” said Cain.

Cain believes that he first crossed paths 34 March/April 2022

with bandmate Tillotson in early 2017, and was asked to be in the band that fall. They started playing live shows shortly thereafter.

He fondly recalls when Penny Bar, below Moe’s BBQ off the Square, began booking live music the following summer. “We played a couple of shows over there that were a lot of fun. It’s such a small space, we’re a pretty loud band, and it was packed out,” he recalled. “I just remember that, having a real vibe.”

At the time, not long after turning 40, Cain was reminded of hard rock bands he played with when he began doing live shows in the late 1990s, at similarly small, crowded spaces; “when it was probably a little louder

than it should be, but still with the energy kinda right.”

Early on, SGR played at Rooster’s Blues House on the Square, but according to Cain, the group’s most pivotal early local show was a February 2019 appearance at nearby venue, Proud Larry’s, on South Lamar Boulevard. “Everyone was packed in there, and digging it,” he said enthusiastically. “The band was really right that night. It was nice to be playing rock music and have that many people - not just with their arms crossed watching, but really into what's going on, kind of sweating along with the band. That's always my favorite.”

Having experienced living in other major music towns, like Nashville and Austin, Cain spoke on some of the positive aspects of being part of the Oxford music community, and his appreciation for its unique culture and supporters.

“I think one thing here is that people still genuinely like music,” he said. A great compliment to Oxford’s appreciation of music, coming from someone who spent multiple years in Bat City, on two different occasions. “Music’s almost an aesthetic out there, something you do because you're supposed to, it seems sometimes.”

As another high compliment to the local music scene, now when comparing the two big college towns, Cain feels there was a certain air of obligation for Austin folks, to go out and support live music.

Whereas in Oxford, he feels folks just seem more naturally engaged.

Not just “people in their 30s and 40s, but still a lot of college kids that really enjoy live music are here,” he said. “It’s not the same everywhere.”

OxfordMag.com 35

While in Gainesville getting his PhD, Cain got a taste of the music scene there, and in contrast considers the one here as, “in some ways more healthy.” He said, “as much as people gripe about it from time to time,” and having experienced a variety of different circumstances, his appreciation has become high.

Apart from having a love for live performances, Cain is also seasoned in the recording studio, having worked in numerous for over a span of two decades.

After that much time, he admits that he has some strong opinions about recorded music, especially here in a progressive digital age. Many have to do with his general disapproval of the “click” track - an almost ubiquitously used rhythm-keeping tool in modern recording - in favor of the natural ebbs in flow of musicians naturally carrying on the rhythm together.

“I really enjoy the pressure of recording, like coming on and trying to nail stuff,” he 36 March/April 2022

said. “Rock music’s always at its best when it’s unpredictable and a little edgy. You don't listen for it to be perfect, you listen to it because it’s exciting and spontaneous.”

Despite his strong inclination toward organic time-keeping, Cain agrees that playing to a click, and actually making the drums sound “natural” (and being able to drift on and off of a click), still sounds good, and is “an art completely in itself.”

All for the good of the whole While Tillotson sometimes longs for the most recent heyday of Oxford’s music scene, of the earlier 2000s, Cain offers the balance of the optimistic enthusiasm of a musician who’s much newer to town, and unable to compare it to anything but the other places he’s played.

Although the description “Southern rock” can be a very broad stroke (and somewhat of a redundant term) SGR gives it a different treatment, with the

versatile musical background of its personnel. Three of the group’s core members; Daniel Hodges (alto sax), Adam Davenport (trombone) and Jesse Martin (bass), played for the Ole Miss Band, “The Pride of the South,” at various times.

As was the case with most bands over the last couple of years, the SGR project was put on the back burner while members had to pursue other interests - and ways to pay the bills. Now they’re ramping up their mission, with renewed purpose, and are expected to be seen and heard only more and more in the days to come.

Tillotson's other venture, a local food service company called Rebel Chefs, which mainly focuses on serving the fraternities and Sororities at Ole Miss recently had a well received pop-up event at Bar Muse, a popular craft cocktail bar inside of Oxford’s Lyric Theatre.

READ THIS BOOK

BOOKS FOR SUMMER Recommendations from

LYN ROBERTS General Manager, Square Books

Bald Eagle: The Improbable Journey Of Americas Bird

by Jack E. Davis

From Jack Davis, the author of the Pulitzer Prize winning The Gulf: The Making of an American Sea, comes this new history of the Bald Eagle. This fascinating book is filled with spectacular stories of Founding Fathers, rapacious hunters, heroice bird rescuers, and the lives of bald eagles themselves —monogamous creatures, considered among the animal world’s finest parents—The Bald Eagle is a much-awaited cultural and natural history that demonstrates how this bird’s wondrous journey may provide inspiration today, as we grapple with environmental peril on a larger scale.

The King Falls (A Bridge To Death Mystery #4)

by R.J. Lee

It is spring and that means another mystery from R.J. Lee (a.k.a. Oxford's own Rob Kuehnle) where bridge players will find that murder is in the cards. This time fourth , it’s up to newly-married reporter and bridge player Wendy Winchester Rierson to finesse a homicide investigation where the killer holds a master hand…

Black Crowd Rising

by David Wright Falade

Already excerpted in the New Yorker, Black Cloud Rising is a compelling and important historical novel that takes us back to 1863 when Union forces had taken control of Tidewater Virginia, and established a toehold in eastern North Carolina.

Thousands of freed slaves and runaways flooded the Union lines, but Confederate irregulars still roamed the region. From this little-known historical episode comes Black Cloud Rising, a dramatic, moving account of these soldiers--men who only weeks earlier had been enslaved, but were now Union infantrymen setting out to fight their former owners.

Memphis

by Tara Stringfellow

Summer 1995: Ten-year-old Joan, her mother, and her younger sister flee her father’s explosive temper and seek refuge at her mother’s ancestral home in Memphis.

As she grows up, Joan finds relief in her artwork, painting portraits of the community in Memphis and begins to understand that her mother, her mother’s mother, and the mothers before them persevered, made impossible choices, and put their dreams on hold so that her life would not have to be defined by loss and anger. A spellbinding debut novel tracing three generations of a Southern Black family and one daughter’s discovery that she has the power to change her family’s legacy.

Don't Know Tough

by Eli Cranor

In Denton, Arkansas, the fate of the high school football team rests on the shoulders of Billy Lowe, a volatile but talented running back. who comes from a troubled home. The head coach, Trent Powers, who just moved from California with his wife and two children for this job, feels a divine calling to save Billy his circumstances, and save his soul. Then Billy’s abuser is found murdered in his family trailer, and all evidence points toward Billy. Now nothing can stop an explosive chain of violence that could tear the whole town apart on the eve of the playoffs. Friday Night Lights gone Southern Gothic dark.

Oxford, Mississippi: The Cofield Collection Ii

by John Cofield

John Cofield's grandfather opened his photography studio in Oxford in 1928. His son followed in his footsteps and now his grandson has continued that tradition of recording and preserving moments by collecting photographs of Oxford and writing the history of the town and its people. The first volume was released in 2017, but there was more to tell and the highly anticipated volume two is coming in April.

OxfordMag.com 37

REAL ESTATE MARKET TRENDS

ANNE FAIR

Marchbanks Real Estate

The bottom line is that Oxford is a wonderful place to live, raise a family, and even retire. Families and couples of all ages are discovering what Oxford has to offer and making the move here or purchasing a second home.”

“Having been in the real estate business for over 25 years, I have seen the market fluctuate off and on.

With that being said, I have never seen homes sell as quickly as they have in the past year. As far as trends go, from what I’ve seen and experienced there is really just a mix of everything selling right now including the million-dollar homes, surprisingly.

With housing on campus being tight we have a lot of parents buying condos for college students as well as buyers looking for

vacation condos or homes.

I have also seen several buyers wanting to purchase older homes that need renovating, although with an increase in price of building materials we are not seeing as many buyers looking to purchase lots or build their own homes.

The bottom line is that Oxford is a wonderful place to live, raise a family, and even retire. Families and couples of all ages are discovering what Oxford has to offer and making the move here or purchasing a second home.”

ALLISON ALLGER

Cannon Cleary Mcgraw

“Usually January is a relatively uneventful closing month. However, January 2022 was a very active month in both home and condo sales in Oxford, and a record in home sales with 33 homes sold! It unexpectedly proved to be a prime-time for both home and condo sales.”

38 March/April 2022

NEIGHBORHOOD GUIDE

TIM PHILLIPS Crye Leike

“Oxford and Lafayette County are definitely in a Seller’s market at this time. With the lack of inventory, this trend will likely continue for the remainder of 2022. It will take time for the inventory to build back up to meet the present demands of Buyers.

The majority of the people looking are trying to lock in an interest rate on a purchase before the rates continue to rise. There are still homes out there but in this competitive market, multiple offers seem to be the “norm.”

I would recommend that all Buyers get pre-approved and be ready to make an offer if they see a house that fits their criteria. Having lived in

Oxford for all of my life, the only thing I think close to this market was the “Eli Era” when the condo boom really started. The condo market inventory is as low as it has ever been with Buyers picking up anything that comes on the market.

Oxford is definitely different from any town in Mississippi. The LOU community has so much to offer people looking to experience good food, sports, theater, and the music scene. Experience Oxford for a weekend and you will want to make it home – especially with the school systems, health care and other amenities we have to offer.”

HARRY ALEXANDER Cannon Cleary McGraw

“Once you’ve made the decision to buy a property, my advice for “First-Time” or “New-Home” Buyers is to get financially pre-approved! In today’s environment, it’s a Seller’s Market and a Buyer has to be ready to strike fast when the opportunity arises.

Like everywhere else around the country, our market will have its highs and lows, but, the pandemic has contributed to a lot of the market we’re in today - a Seller’s market.

As an example, Covid has shown corporate America that everyone doesn’t have to be on-site to get their work accomplished. Because of this, employees can work from just about anywhere. If you are a community like Oxford that has a strong public school system, SEC sports, a rich, cultural environment, a competitive food and

night-life scene, county- wide, high-speed fiber optics, a strong faith community, and great parks and recreation - towns like ours are magnets for individuals and families seeking to establish roots in a friendly, safe, stimulating environment. Because of that and several other reasons, Covid has changed the way the home-buying business is done. My suggestion is to establish a relationship with one of Oxford’s local or regional banks. There are several to choose from and all have exceptional mortgage departments and you’ll want to build this banking relationship for the future. Once you’ve had a chance to sit down with a mortgage lender and explore what you can afford, have this pre-approval letter “in hand.” You’ll want to include this letter with the

offer when you find that perfect spot! In the environment we’re in, you’ll want every advantage you can get and this “pre-approval” let’s a Seller know you’ve done your homework and are serious about buying. It will make a

difference and just might be that extra bullet in your holster that you need - good luck!

For this and other Real Estate advice feel free to reach out to me or any experienced agents.”

OxfordMag.com 39

REAL ESTATE: NEIGH THE LAMAR

Approximately one mile from the square, off of North Lamer, these luxurious, traditional-style homes are new construction and have high-end finishes and exquisite details. With over 100 lots in the neighborhood, these homes are on smaller, manageable lots and offer many different layouts from 1,000 square feet to larger homes that go over 2,000 square feet.

OXFORD COMMONS

Developed by David Blackburn, it is a complete community with residential neighborhoods, professional offices, retail and entertainment near Oxford High School. The community has signature custom homes, semi-custom, patio homes and townhomes being developed with many floor plans.

WELLSGATE

Located just off of Highway 6 towards Batesville, this exquisite neighborhood offers homes to meet various budgets and square footage needs with prices ranging from the $200k range up to the $1 million range.

THE GROVE AT GRAND OAKS

The Grove at Grand Oaks, just off of Highway 7, surrounds the Country Club of Oxford. With a variety of home-sites, it offers views of the clubhouse, proposed lake, the golf course, and also numerous heavily wooded home-sites amid strands of mature oaks.

OXFORD CREEK

This neighborhood is in a fantastic location and located just off Molly Barr road. With beautiful landscaping and walking trails to and from the square, it’s hard to find a subdivision with more character.

40 March/April 2022

PHOTO BY JOEY BRENT

HBORHOOD GUIDE WILLIAMSBURG SUBDIVISION

With an inviting sense of community and patio home feel, it is a fairly new neighborhood having been built in 2006. The painted brick of these homes adds a touch of class along with high-quality floor plans.

FRANKLIN FARMS

One of the newer subdivisions in Oxford with its first home built in 2008, the subdivision is located just off of County Road 401 off of Highway 7 South. The homes in Franklin Farms come mostly in French and traditional styles. These homes are mostly 3 bedrooms and 2 baths and are within the 1,200 to 1,700 square-foot range.

NOTTING HILL

Located just off of Belk Drive, these french-style homes are around the $160k to high $200k range and consist of various styles. Notting Hill is a popular neighborhood and the homes stay in high demand, which is great for the home-owner’s property value.

OXMOOR PLACE

Developed in 2007, Oxmoor Place offers 3 to 5 bedrooms depending on what you are looking for. The square footage can range anywhere from roughly 1,600 to 3,400 square feet.

These homes are well built with a nice traditional and cottage style to them. Oxmoor Place is in the Oxford city school district.

WINDSOR FALLS

A welcoming, family community just off of Highway 7 South, this is a very popular neighborhood with homes in the $250k to $300k price range. With 15 different floor plans, chances are, there will be something that suits you!

TWELVE OAKS

A safe and popular family-oriented neighborhood located off of New College Hill Road, the homes in this area are spacious and cater to families as well as many other types of homeowners.

You will find homes of different styles, sizes and price ranges.

OxfordMag.com 41

DEVELOPER Q&A

8

EIGHT QUESTIONS FOR

David Blackburn

1.What brought you to Oxford, and why did you choose Oxford for your development at Oxford Commons and Blackburn Development?

My wife, Karen, and I fell in love with Oxford when we were in college and basically never left.

I had the opportunity to live in Nashville right out of college and also lived in Austin when we started our first development there. Both of those cities are great, but Karen and I loved the small-town college charm that Oxford offered and being close to both of our families. We wanted to develop Oxford Commons to take some of the best things we saw in master planned communities in Austin and Nashville and bring it here. We wanted to create a community close to downtown Oxford that was more affordable than a home just off the Square but had those same kind of amenities.

42 March/April 2022

2.Very uniquely, you also live in Oxford Commons. What has made the community and the City of Oxford an ideal place for you and your family?

We moved into one of the first homes built at Oxford Commons so it has been neat to see it grow these last 7 years into what it is today and to get to experience it both as a developer and as a homeowner. Oxford has been ideal for us because of the high quality of life that it offers as a small town while still providing the amenities of a larger town with Ole Miss sports, the arts, great restaurants, and the many extra-curricular activities offered for kids.

3.What does the next phase look like for Oxford Commons and how far along are you with the whole community being fully built out?

Our next residential phase will be to the northeast of the high school and will feature 30 larger lots that will back up to tree conservation areas; we hope to break ground on this new phase in March. We also have a new mixed-use building between Southern Craft and Christ Presbyterian Church that will be opening in July that will have retail on

the first floor and our new corporate office on the second floor. We are about 30% built out on the overall development.

4.What does a typical day look like for you, if there is any such thing.

I really don’t have a typical day at work which makes it a lot of fun (most of the time!). I am out of town one to two days per week checking on our projects outside of Oxford and looking at new development opportunities. I spend most of my time on the phone or in meetings when in Oxford.

5.Outside of work, what are your favorite things to do in Oxford?

Outside of work, our family really enjoys going to Ole Miss sporting events and attending our boys’ sports activities at MTrade Park.

6.What made you decide to go into the development business and start your own company?

My late father-in-law, Julian Allen. He had been in the general construction business in the late 70s and early 80s. He had not done a lot of

development and warned me that most people he knew that were developers had gone broke at least once, but he felt like I would enjoy it and be good at it. At an age when most people would want to retire, he helped me start our development company from scratch and spent an incredible amount of time mentoring me (especially on the part about not going broke)!

7.How did the pandemic affect sales and building of homes in Oxford Commons?

When it initially hit, everything came to a screeching halt. But within about 3 months of the initial shutdown, sales just took off and haven’t slowed down since. Due to the amount of demand coupled with the shutdowns, getting materials and labor have been the biggest challenges along with the quick rise in building costs. Hopefully, we will see these supply chain disruptions improve and inflation moderate in the second half of this year.

8.What is one thing people are surprised to learn about you?

I am color blind OxfordMag.com 43

AFTER

Home Makeover

Cottage Renovation 44 March/April 2022

BY BEV THOMPSON PHOTOS SUBMITTED

2

013 was a doozy for our family. It was a season full of change and unknowns to say the least. Thinking there would be a potential move from Oxford, we sold our previous home quicker than we thought. Thankfully we had a friend with a vacant condo that we were able to rent until we figured out what was next. When I say condo, visions of spacious, luxury rooms overlooking the Square may come to mind. This was not our family's experience. We were grateful for the space that was available at the right time, but our family of six was cramped! I told myself that it was temporary and I could do anything for a few months. But 6 months, 9 months, a year later we had not moved from Oxford like we thought, and our family needed a home to live in again. In desperation I began driving around Oxford wishing, hoping something would show itself.

One cold winter afternoon I happened to turn down a little dead end street, and there it was. With a for sale sign in the yard! Looking past the overgrown shrubs and uncared for exterior sat a cute home with a wrap-around porch and bright yellow doors. Could this be our answer as to how to get out of the condo? Turns out the house had been rented for years, left vacant for a while, and was definitely in need of some attention. Long story short, buying this house was not an easy process. There are still times now that I look back on that time and just know with all my heart that God provided a way for us.

Although we were definitely happy and hopeful to finally be home owners again, we would have to first make some major changes before we could move in. Probably a little in over our heads, the whole family got to work on demolition. The home had originally been built for a single woman, so it did not quite fit our family of six. We knew walls needed to come down in order to turn small, closed off rooms into a more open floor plan where our bigger family had room to move around and gather all together. There was also the bathroom that had bead-board surrounding the bathtub. You know

BEFORE

OxfordMag.com 45

Bev, Quinn, Blake, Rowan, Addie and Ella Thompson water and wood don't usually do well together, and as suspected once we had torn back to the studs there had been some water damage. Pulling up old linoleum floors and scraping the popcorn ceiling was all part of the fun.

After much help from friends and family and a lot of paint later, we were finally able to move in.

It looked like we planned to stay in Oxford for a little longer after all. We were so thankful to have a place to call home again. This time we were on the opposite side of town than we had lived before. We quickly got used to the convenience of being so close to schools, church, and other activities.

46 March/April 2022

Although we were closer to town, it felt like we were out in the county. Our house, which also included a little more land than what we were used to, was on a county road shared by only five other homes. It was perfect! The longer we lived there the more we fell in love with not only our home and location, but also our neighbors. I know I am biased, but I don't think anyone has better neighbors than we do. So as the years passed and our kids were getting older, we again started thinking about how to make our home fit our family even better. The "laundry room" was still in the kitchen, so that was enough for this mom of four to start to day dream of

adding on. By this time, we definitely could not imagine living anywhere else. Remember I have already said how awesome our neighbors are.

So unknowingly at the height of the lumber craze, we embarked on our second remodel, plus a few new additions. This time we did not only work inside the existing home, but poured new foundation for what would become a carport, master bedroom and bath, mudroom, and yes, my laundry room. Since the laundry would no longer be done on the kitchen floor, a new kitchen configuration was also included in the new set of plans. Not one of our

smartest decisions, but we decided we could just keep living in the house while the addition was being done.

Not sure how our builders or us survived it, but we did! Last year we really got to enjoy the fruit of all the labor and stress that went into this renovation. I did not think we could love our house as much as we already did, but it just keeps getting better.

We can say we know what it feels like to turn a house into a home. We hope to make many more memories in this home, and who knows what it might look like several years from now. But for now I'll be back in my laundry room smiling.

OxfordMag.com 47

REAL ESTATE DIRECTORY 1st Rate Real Estate and Land Co., LLC Steve King Annette Lee Agency Annette Lee Award Realty Co. Dawn Testa Award Realty Co. Sam Testa Blackburn Homes LLC Makena Gobbell Blackburn Homes LLC Tim Noss Cannon Cleary McGraw Peyton Adams Cannon Cleary McGraw Harry Alexander Cannon Cleary McGraw Alison Alger Cannon Cleary McGraw Leigh Bourn Cannon Cleary McGraw Blake Cannon Cannon Cleary McGraw Sierra Cannon Cannon Cleary McGraw Lauren West Cleary Cannon Cleary McGraw Mark Cleary Cannon Cleary McGraw Dan Finan Cannon Cleary McGraw Cherrise Gaster Cannon Cleary McGraw Meagan Hill Cannon Cleary McGraw Jenna Hunt Cannon Cleary McGraw Matt McGraw Cannon Cleary McGraw Whitney McGraw Cannon Cleary McGraw Lee Pittman Cannon Cleary McGraw Adam Quick Cannon Cleary McGraw Joel Reeves Century 21 Maselle & Assoc. Oxford (BOF) Krista Barnhart Century 21 Maselle & Assoc. Oxford (BOF) April Gray Century 21 Maselle & Assoc. Oxford (BOF) Doug Maselle Century 21 Maselle & Assoc. Oxford (BOF) Darren Middleton Century 21 Maselle & Assoc. Oxford (BOF) Heather Shaw Cissell Management Co., LLC Joshua Cissell Coldwell Banker Signature Ashley Cox Coldwell Banker Signature Alexandra (Alex) McLarty Coldwell Banker Signature Barbara Mesecke Coldwell Banker Signature Martin Mesecke Coldwell Banker Signature Melissa Scott Coldwell Banker Signature Alicia VanLandeghem Coldwell Banker Signature Lexi Worth Collegiate Realty Jordan Bankhead Collegiate Realty Will Belk IV Collegiate Realty Max Hill Crye-Leike Oxford Real Estate Summer Anderson Crye-Leike Oxford Real Estate Denise Carr Crye-Leike Oxford Real Estate Courtney Gordon Crye-Leike Oxford Real Estate Hayden Hankins Crye-Leike Oxford Real Estate Joyce Haskins Crye-Leike Oxford Real Estate Mary Allyn Hedges Crye-Leike Oxford Real Estate Stephen Hedges Crye-Leike Oxford Real Estate Mark S Hodge Crye-Leike Oxford Real Estate Tonya Knight Crye-Leike Oxford Real Estate Greg Lovelady Crye-Leike Oxford Real Estate Emelie McGee Crye-Leike Oxford Real Estate Locke Phillips 48 March/April 2022

Provided by North Mississippi Board of Realty

kingstevea@msn.com annetteleeoxford@gmail.com dawn@awardrealtyco.com samtesta@awardrealtyco.com mgobbell@gmail.com tnoss@blackburnhomes.com peyton.ccm@gmail.com ha@harryalexander.com alisonmalger@gmail.com leighbourn@gmail.com blake.OxfordVIP@gmail.com sierracannon3@gmail.com mslaurenwest@gmail.com markccleary@gmail.com danfinan34@gmail.com cherrisegaster@gmail.com mhill6722@gmail.com jenna.ccm@gmail.com mattmoxford@gmail.com wekent@gmail.com lee.pittman1@gmail.com adquick@hotmail.com joel@mrconstructionoxford.com kristabarnhart.re@gmail.com aprilgray@frontdoorkey.com doug@maselle.com darrenmiddleton@frontdoorkey.com heather.shaw1981@gmail.com josh@cissellmanagement.com ashleyccox1@gmail.com alex@oxford38655.com barbara@oxford38655.com martin@oxford38655.com melissa@oxford38655.com alicia@oxford38655.com realtorlexiworth@gmail.com jordanbankhead@yahoo.com fwbelk@gmail.com maxhill38655@gmail.com summer.anderson@crye-leike.com deniserenee79@gmail.com courtneycgordon@yahoo.com haydenhankins0824@gmail.com joyce.haskins@crye-leike.com maryallyn.hedges@crye-leike.com stephen.hedges@crye-leike.com mark.hodge@crye-leike.com thknight123@gmail.com greglovelady@bellsouth.net emelie.mcgee@crye-leike.com lockephillips@gmail.com

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REAL ESTATE DIRECTORY Kessinger Real Estate Kessinger Real Estate Kessinger Real Estate Kessinger Real Estate Kessinger Real Estate Kessinger Real Estate Kessinger Real Estate Kessinger Real Estate Kessinger Real Estate Kessinger Real Estate Kessinger Real Estate Kessinger Real Estate Kessinger Real Estate Kessinger Real Estate Kessinger Real Estate Kessinger Real Estate Kessinger Real Estate Kiamie Real Estate Kiamie Real Estate Kiamie Real Estate Lynn Middleton Real Estate Marchbanks Real Estate Marchbanks Real Estate Marchbanks Real Estate Marchbanks Real Estate Marchbanks Real Estate Marchbanks Real Estate Marchbanks Real Estate Marchbanks Real Estate Market Realty Market Realty Market Realty Market Realty Market Realty Market Realty Martin Management Martin Management Martin Management Matthews Real Estate Matthews Real Estate Matthews Real Estate Matthews Real Estate Matthews Real Estate Matthews Real Estate Matthews Real Estate Matthews Real Estate Matthews Real Estate Matthews Real Estate Matthews Real Estate Matthews Real Estate 50 March/April 2022

Glenda Keenan Anna Kessinger Keith Kessinger Jamey Leggitt Hope McCreary Dasha McGinness Jennifer McMinn Lee McMinn Molly Mogridge Tina R Montgomery Tim Mullins Robby Parsons Betsy Patton Sharon Rice Mike Tomes Bryan Varner Britt Wicker Brit Boatright Brian Carpenter A.J. Kiamie Lynn Middleton Christopher K Cassidy Ken Crain LeeLee Desler Anne Fair Davis L Fair Sherwin Haynie Dick Marchbanks Mark Shoemake Keith Black Donald M Brooks Rexanne Collins Halon Gossett Cindy Heuser Thaddeus Heuser Leland Martin Leshia G Martin Roderick Quinlan Carrie Fuller Sarah Hamilton Jennifer Jurney Cherie Matthews Mary Nelda Matthews Wil Matthews Larry McCay Midge McCay Rhonda Rodgers Drake Seligman Chris Suber Carlyle G. Thomas

Provided by North Mississippi Board of Realty

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REAL ESTATE DIRECTORY RE/MAX LEGACY RE/MAX LEGACY RE/MAX LEGACY RE/MAX LEGACY RE/MAX LEGACY RE/MAX LEGACY RE/MAX LEGACY RE/MAX LEGACY RE/MAX LEGACY RE/MAX LEGACY RE/MAX LEGACY RE/MAX LEGACY RE/MAX LEGACY RE/MAX LEGACY RE/MAX LEGACY RE/MAX LEGACY RE/MAX LEGACY RE/MAX LEGACY RE/MAX LEGACY RE/MAX LEGACY RE/MAX Legacy RE/MAX Legacy Rebel Realty & Property Mgmt., LLC Rebel Realty & Property Mgmt., LLC Rebel Realty & Property Mgmt., LLC Rebel Realty & Property Mgmt., LLC Rebel Realty & Property Mgmt., LLC Right-Way Realty Right-Way Realty Robert Carson Properties, Inc Rosenblatt Real Estate Roy Trip Parker III Brokerage Sample & Poole Properties LLC Sample & Poole Properties LLC Sample & Poole Properties LLC Sample & Poole Properties LLC Southern Properties & Services Southern Properties & Services Southern Properties & Services Southern Realty Group LLC Square Real Estate LLC Square Real Estate LLC Square Real Estate LLC Square Real Estate LLC Square Real Estate LLC Square Real Estate LLC Stewart Realty Stewart Realty Tackett Real Estate LLC Tackett Real Estate LLC 52 March/April 2022

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Provided by North Mississippi Board of Realty

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OxfordMag.com 53

OUT AND ABOUT

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PRINCESS BALL Photos by Joey Brent

The Powerhouse Jan. 25, 2022

1.

Kimberly Bumgardner and Ellen Pannell

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Micheal and Mary Katherine Ellis

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Lennon and Will Castle

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Suzanne McManus and Jane Yoe

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5.

Caleb and Ella Beard

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Rocket and Jeremy Warren

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Cassidy and Kevin Houston

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Claire Ann and Clayton Ciarloni

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Michael and Phina Kathryn Koury with Mac and Bessie Rose Nichols

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58 March/April 2022

OUT AND ABOUT

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FIBER ARTS FESTIVAL

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Photos ©Joey Brent

The Powerhouse Jan. 21-22, 2022 1.

Jennie Vieve, Mary Margaret and Emmaline Richardson

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Nharah Clark and Audrey Still

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Katelynn Dillard with Clant and Rosemary Harrison

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Lucinde Berryhill and Mary Mackey

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Ygondine Creasy and Susan Bartlett

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Sandy and Stacey Forbess

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Q and Fiber J

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Roiana Buckmaster and Beth Collier

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Larry and Gina Levesque

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10. Janet Bland and Lee Waltress 11. Nharah Clark using a Nal Needle for Nalbinding, a form of knitting dating back to 3000BC, prior to Crochet or even knitting

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SAID AND DONE

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LITERARY LANDSCAPES

COUNTRIBUTING EDITOR JIM DEES is a writer and longtime host of Thacker Mountain Radio. He is the author of The Statue and the Fury - A Year of Art, Race, Music and Cocktails.

62 March/April 2022

Spring is sprung and with the pleasant temps and blooming blooms comes the dark side: yard work and leaf blowers. Someone took the 1970s technology for blow-dryers, souped it up like a booster rocket and now your neighbors can blast every twig and half-leaf over their entire yard at NASCAR volume.

Let there be a special torture chamber in the afterlife - outfitted with 10,000 shrieking blowers - for the inventor of this device.

Yard work is like broccoli – you hated it as a kid, but somehow developed a taste for it in your harried adulthood. Perhaps it’s the sweating, the immediate gratification of the dirty task, or simply just a few blessed moments away from Big Data and the opiate of the screen.

In my crew-cut childhood, on every Saturday in season, our dad would dutifully put my brother and I through our paces, mowing the yard. Before I was quite old enough, he started my older brother on an electric lawn mower. A small, light push mower with a LONG extension cord that plugged into a socket inside the house with the window cracked.

I can remember on wet, dewy mornings, my father would walk along every step as my brother pushed that buzzing, electric contraption through the sog. In later years, when I would ruminate on this memory, I wondered what my dad had in mind… did he simply want to be there when my brother was electrocuted? And then what?

By the time I was old enough, six or seven, he had switched to a gas mower and I began a lifelong association with Briggs-Stratton. People who grew up on the old “reel” push mowers may snicker, but gas mowers involve a fair amount of exertion, row after row, year after year.

Thus, as a kid, mowing was a chore. As an adult, it’s therapy without the couch.

At some point our father began paying us a couple of bucks, eventually up to $5 a week. We picked up extra money mowing some yards in the neighborhood and suddenly the enterprise displayed promise.

I eventually took my skills city-wide when a buddy and I got hired one summer with the crew that mowed our city cemetery in Greenville, MS. Talk about finesse work! As close to surgery as I’ll get.

There is possibly no better tasting beer in the world than that first one you pop after an August afternoon spent trim-mowing a cemetery.

Once my brother and I hit college, on our first visit back home for Christmas, we noticed our father, with cheap labor vanished from the house, had gotten himself a riding lawn mower. Ditto a color TV. Long into adulthood, I considered mowing yards a viable side hustle. As a young reporter for the Oxford Eagle in the late 1990s, my co-worker Jonny Miles and I considered starting a mowing service in Oxford. Miles already had clients for whom he did light handyman chores. One niche we thought of was to offer a discount for writers in town. (Instead of the 40 or 50 published authors presently, back then it was 20 or so). In true piein-sky thinking, we came up with a name and logo before anything else. We’d call the business, “Literary Landscapes” and the logo would be a small figure mowing words off the page of an open book.

We kept our day jobs.

An interesting footnote to the notion of literary landscapes is found in a rare photo from 1949. The picture is the only known photo taken of brothers - and authors - John and William Faulkner together as adult men. The pic was taken by Phil Mullen, then-editor of the Eagle who said he happened to be driving by John’s place on University Ave. Mullen glanced over, saw the two chatting in the yard, pulled over, grabbed his camera and quickly got their photo. It apparently happened very quickly because William can be seen holding a funnel in the picture. Mullen reported that William had come over to John’s house to retrieve a lawn mower he had lent him.

What is really remarkable to me – aside from their resemblance – is that both are wearing neck-ties.

Faulkner, neck tie and all, probably had someone else mow his yard, knowing his aversion to loud noise. Here’s a man who asked The Mansion steak house to unplug the jukebox whenever he dined there. He hated the whirl of air-conditioning, it took away the weather, he said. Even his own conversation could be notoriously limited.

As for leaf-blowers, I think it’s safe to say we can put Faulkner down as a hard no.

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662-655-0500 553 Acres in Holly Springs, Marshall County.

Great deer & turkey hunting. Good pine timber. $1375 per acre.

(662)417-2354 Faulkner Flats Apartments 662-234-1801 2998 Old Taylor Road Oxford, MS 38655 NOW LEASING FOR 2022 www.liveat faulknerats.com H&L Underbrush, Yard Work & Much More.

662-714-0132 HAWKINS HANDYMAN Lawn & Tree Removal.

24/7. Bonded & Insured. Plumbing,

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Electric, Excavating, Bush Hogging, Lawn Care, Leaf Removal, Dozer Work, Gravel/ Dirt Hauling, Welding Service, Trailer Repair.

For your home & outdoor needs. Oxford, MS. 662-473-8139 Lexington Pointe Apartments 662-281-0402 2000 Lexington Pointe Dr, Oxford, MS 38655 NOW LEASING FOR 2022 www.liveatlexington pointeapts.com 3 Single Ofces (11’x12’) $500.00 monthly per ofce.

In professional ofce building, high visibility, excellent parking. Close to campus, Square & hospital. Shared entrance, conference room, bathrooms & small kitchenette.

662-236-8026 HELP WANTED! PHARMACY TECHNICIAN IN BATESVILLE. RETAIL EXPERIENCE PREFERRED. SEND RESUME TO RESUMES947 @GMAIL.COM Operations Supervisor Qualications: •2yrs of college and/ or a minimum of 5yrs in warehousing environment with management level experience; food warehousing and training desired •Experience in warehousing management/broad knowledge of warehouse operations •Ability

to maintain organized and detailed records Applicants apply at: www.midsouthf oodbank.org or in-person: Batesville Facility 875B Hwy 51 South Batesville,MS 38606 For Rent. 1 Lot Space For a 62 foot mobile home. Oxford Wheel Estates at Oxford Wheel Estates Mobile Home Park (662)380-5086 Precious Angels Home Care. Private Duty, Nonmedical, In-home care.

Caregivers, homemakers & sitters. Does your loved one need care at home? Contact us today.

662-821-6787. email: wecare@preciousangels homecare.org Rebel Renishing & Repair. Bottoms & chairs, renish cabinets in the house.

40 years experience in renishing & repair. Free estimates. Call David for Information.

662-816-5710 REM Mississippi is Hiring! REM Mississippi is seeking full-time and part-time employees, all shifts. Great benet package for full-time employees. For more information, please visit http://www.rem-ms.com/ or call 601.939.0394 224 Acres Panola Co. Timberland On Shiloh Rd South of Batesville.

Outstanding deer & turkey hunting in select cut timber with food

plots. Southern Land Co. TN LLC BILL GATES 901-488-0368 www.southern landco.com TRAILER WORLD Goosenecks, Equipment, Stock & Enclosed Trailers. Mid-South’s Largest Selection.

SOUTHLAND CO. Batesville, MS 662-563-9428 Tommy’s Renishing & Repair LLC Professional antique restoration since 1974.

188 CR 215, Oxford.

662-816-7135 Estate purchasing/ appraisal services.

Yalobusha General Hospital 630 South Main St. , Water Valley, MS 38655.

Seeking full-time night shift LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse) and full-time night shift RN(Registered Nurse).

We offer free medical insurance, PTO, retirement matching and more. $1000 hiring bonus! Apply through our website http:// yalobushageneral.com/ Indeed or in person.

Ofce Manager/ Assistant Oxford consulting rm.

Microsoft Ofce required (Word/ Excel/Powerpoint).

Access+Quickbooks a plus. Health/vision/ dental/401k provided. Salary commensurate with education and experience. Email Resume: mslaughter@ saplanners.com

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