Oxford Maazine by The Oxford Eagle

“DEAR WILLIAM” BOOK EXCERPT • FALL FOOD FARE

5 QUESTIONS WITH PAM SWAIN FALL FARE FROM SOLA GUIDE TO GIVING NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 OxfordMag.com Volume Five | Issue Six $4.95

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www.magnolialighting.com OxfordMag.com 1

FEATURES

HOMETOWN KID Oxford’s Jarkel Joiner is enjoying playing basketball for Ole Miss

DEAR WILLIAM: A FATHER’S MEMOIR OF ADDICTION An excerpt from David MaGee’s new book.

GUIDE TO GIVING Highlights from charities in need of support in our community.

2 November/December 2021

arts & culture 27 Local Bank Ready to Rock

OM in every issue 4 Contributors

5 From the Editor

home & style

23 Local caterer, Party Waitin’ To Happen

8 The Guide

31 Book Picks

33 5 Questions 53 Style Guide

food

& drink

35 Fall Food Fare at Sola

56 Out and About 63 Said and Done 64 Marketplace

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contributors EDITORIAL

Jake Thompson Maya Martin

CONTRIBUTORS Davis Coen Lyn Richardson Lauren Jones Bruce Newman Joey Brent

Joey Brent, Photographer

Joey Brent is a local photographer in Oxford, Mississippi.

DESIGN

Allison Dale

MARKETING

Delia Childers Amelia Miller

ADMINISTRATION

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.

Rebecca Alexander, Publisher Nikki Buford

David Coen,

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.

Lauren Jones,

Lauren Jones is a marketing specialist and is a graduate from Ole Miss. She lives in Oxford and enjoys spending time with her husband Henry, new baby and her dogs.

4 November/December 2021

from the editor

This is the season when we take moment gather those dear around us, give thanks and celebrate being together. It is a giving time of the year. We search for the perfect gift and open our hearts to charities. Our Guide to Giving showcases a few of the many local charities that local businesses sponsored to highlight this year. Although this is a time of joy, there are moments in this season when we are keenly aware of those we have lost. We share the heart-rending excerpt from David MaGee’s new book, “Dear William” about his son’s death and legacy. It is gripping, and leaves you wanting to know more. Speaking of books, we expanded this edition of book picks to include new releases and holiday books you will want to give. We have two food features in this edition. Sola continues to reinvent it’s menu and Chef Lippe shares recipes you can make at home. On the catering side of food, Maya Martin writes about the son and mother who started a catering business 21 years ago that continues to thrive. We round out the issue with our Style Feature, what to wear and how to set the perfect table and Out and About events. Enjoy the season. We are so thankful for our Oxford friends and family. Rebecca Alexander Publisher rebecca.alexander@oxfordeagle.com

ON THE COVER

Pam Swain,

Senior Vice-president, Oxford - Layfayette County Chamber of Commerce Photo by Joey Brent Design by Allison Dale

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6 November/December 2021

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WHAT TO DO IN OXFORD

Light P iazza

UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI OPERA THEATRE PRESENTS

The

OXFORD COMMUNITY MARKET Old Armory Pavilion November / Every Monday | 3 - 6:30 p.m.

in the

Book by Craig Lucas Music and Lyrics by Adam Guettel Starring Mary Donnelly Haskell

HINGE DANCE COMPANY SHOW The Powerhouse November 4 - 6 | 7 - 9 p.m. PROUD LARRY’S PRESENTS … CBDB Proud Larry’s - $12-15 tickets, 18+ November 4 | Doors: 8 p.m. / Show: 9 p.m. HISTORIC DOUBLE DECKER BUS TOUR Ole Miss Campus & Downtown Square - $10 Adults, $5 kids - 12 and under November 5 | 3 p.m. - 4 p.m. / 4 p.m. - 5 p.m. LARKIN POE @ THE LYRIC The Lyric Oxford - $27-62 tickets, Under 18 with Guardian November 5 | 7 p.m. PROUD LARRY’S PRESENTS … SPENCER THOMAS WITH CODY ROGERS Proud Larry’s - $10 tickets, 18+ November 7 | Doors: 5 p.m. / Show: 6 p.m. PROUD LARRY’S PRESENTS … BENDIGO FLETCHER AND ONA Proud Larry’s - $13-16 tickets, 18+ November 11 | Doors: 8 p.m. / Show: 9 p.m. HISTORIC DOUBLE DECKER BUS TOUR Ole Miss Campus & Downtown Square - $10 Adults, $5 kids - 12 and under November 12 | 3 p.m. - 4 p.m. / 4 p.m. - 5 p.m.

8 November/December 2021

Friday, November 19, 7:30 pm Sunday, November 21, 3:00 pm

Directed by Blake McIver Ewing Musical Direction by Amanda Johnston

On the main stage at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts Tickets available at olemissboxoffice.com or 662.915.7411 THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals. www.concordtheatricals.com. Produced by arrangement with Turner Entertainment Co. Owner of the original motion picture "Light In The Piazza." Based on the novel by Elizabeth Spencer.

NOVEMBER 7

Shop Oxford’s Holiday Open House 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Join downtown merchants for special holiday shopping hours, gift ideas, giveaways and more!

NOVEMBER 19 AND 21

The Light in the Piazza The upcoming UM Opera Theatre production of “The Light in the Piazza” takes the stage at the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts on Nov. 19 and 21. In collaboration with the Center for the Study of Southern Culture and other partners.Tickets to “The Light in the Piazza” are on sale through the UM Box Office at 662-915-7411 or online. Click here to purchase tickets to the 7:30 p.m. Nov. 19 or the 3 p.m. Nov. 21 performances.

WHAT TO DO IN OXFORD

DECEMBER

Peppermint Bear: The Taming Of The Shoe, By Michael Sinder, Dir. Jaime Adams Theatre Oxford is very excited to announce the holiday presentation of Peppermint Bear – Taming of the Shoe, written by Michael Sinder. Dastardly Percy, an out of work Director/Choreographer, arrives in the guise of a shoe salesman for elf shoes. His real plan is to become rich and famous through the use of an elf, Gert, and a magic magnet that forces her to dance! Will Gert be able to break the spell? Will the Peppermint Bear be able to save Christmas? Find out when Theatre Oxford presents this family friendly, audience participation, travelling holiday show. Join us as we share holiday fun with young and old and an introduction into the interactive world of theatre!

PROUD LARRY’S PRESENTS … ARLO MCKINLEY WITH DRAYTON FARLEY Proud Larry’s - $15-20 tickets, 18+ November 18 | Doors: 7:30 p.m. / Show: 8:30 p.m. HISTORIC DOUBLE DECKER BUS TOUR Ole Miss Campus & Downtown Square - $10 Adults, $5 kids - 12 and under November 19 | 3 p.m. - 4 p.m. / 4 p.m. - 5 p.m. PROUD LARRY’S PRESENTS… THE GENTLEMEN COMMONERS: A TRIBUTE TO THE SMITHS Proud Larry’s - $10 tickets, 18+ November 26 | Doors: 8:30 p.m. / Show: 9:30 p.m.

OXFORD COMMUNITY MARKET Old Armory Pavilion December / Every Monday | 3 - 6:30 p.m. VINITALY TASTING AT THE SIPP The Sipp on South Lamar December 1 | 5:30 - 7 p.m. PROUD LARRY’S PRESENTS… THE BRUMMIES WITH VLAD HOLIDAY Proud Larry’s - $12-15 tickets, 18+ December 4 | Doors: 8:30 p.m. / Show: 9:30 p.m. PECOS & THE ROOFTOPS @ THE LYRIC The Lyric Oxford - $17 tickets, Under 18 with Guardian December 9 | 8 p.m.

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10 November/December 2021

SCHOOLS

& SPORTS

HOMETOWN KID

Oxford’s Jarkel Joiner enjoying the “blessing” of playing for Ole Miss BY JAKE THOMPSON PHOTOS BY BRUCE NEWMAN OxfordMag.com 11

Not every athlete gets to return home and play for the school he grew up minutes away from, but Jarkel Joiner is not every athlete. The Oxford native is entering his second season as a member of the Ole Miss basketball team, which plays in the Sarah and John Black Pavilion that stands roughly 10 minutes from where he played high school basketball. For Jarkel, there is more meaning to playing in his backyard than just wearing a jersey that says Ole Miss. There is a deeper understanding of what the responsibility is that comes with being the hometown kid playing on the Southeastern Conference stage. “Just being here is a blessing,” Joiner said when asked what it means that he’ll play his last collegiate basketball at home. “I give thanks to God, first of all. It’s been fun, man. Hopefully we can create some more memories this year.” Ole Miss was not Joiner’s first

12 November/December 2021

destination after four years as one of Oxford High School’s standout players to come through the program. He first opted to sign with California State University - Bakersfield and play for former Ole Miss head coach Rod Barnes’ program. Joiner found success as a Roadrunner, performing as one of the top players in the Big West Conference his two seasons at CSU Bakersfield. But taking the floor wearing a Rebel uniform was always a goal for Joiner and when Kermit Davis became the new head coach at Ole Miss, replacing Andy Kennedy who stepped down after 12 seasons in Oxford, the opportunity to put that jersey on presented itself. Davis, who is friends with Barnes, reached out to Joiner’s previous coach and got his blessing to try and get Joiner back to Oxford. “I think it’s always been his dream,” Davis said. “I told him in my office right in front of his dad. I said, ‘Jarkel,

we want you to be an Ole Miss Rebel,’ and he kind of broke down and gave this unbelievable hug. Almost brought chill bumps to me. I knew how much it meant to him.” Joiner sat out the 2019-20 season due to transfer rules but suited up for his Rebel debut last season. The success that Joiner enjoyed late in the season was not immediate. The hometown kid was putting too much pressure on himself, playing in front of family and fans at the SJB Pavilion — albeit a small percentage due to COVID-19 capacity restrictions. The stat sheet was not filling up for Joiner, who was trying to find his footing in a new environment and adjust to life as a SEC basketball player. At one point during the season, Davis sat Joiner down to try and soothe out any nerves that might have been created. “Last year I think he came out of the gates pressing a little bit,” Davis said.

“Then finally I said, ‘Just relax and play,’ and he did and he just had an unbelievable ending to the year and he hasn’t missed a beat. He’s had a great summer and fall.” Now that the initial season at home is behind him, Joiner knows what to expect and is being looked at by Davis as the Rebels leading man. With Breein Tyree and Devontae Shuler now gone, Joiner is the starting point guard and the one the Rebels offense will operate through.

Despite the daunting task and responsibility now on Joiners shoulders this season, the former Oxford Charger has spent the offseason preparing to handle that responsibility. “It’s really been everybody helping me: all the teammates, all the coaches,” Joiner said in preparation for this season. “(It’s) just being me everyday, coming in, being ready to learn. It’s being a second extension behind the coach on the floor and just being ready to go every day.”

Another example of Joiner enjoying the opportunity to play in front of his hometown is the amount of giving back and community service he puts in when not on the court. Joiner is involved in several community service projects in Oxford and regularly reads to students across the state of Mississippi as part of the Reading with the Rebels program. Joiner joined the program as part of the Stronger Together MS initiative that focuses on promoting reading OxfordMag.com 13

to students in Pre-K through third grade. That has not gone unnoticed as Joiner was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Community Assist Team in September. Joiner was one of 10 basketball players throughout the country named to the team, including one of only six Division I players. “He loves all the community service,” Davis said. “The award that he just got kind of typified Jarkel off the floor. He’s meant a lot to Oxford.” Joiner is classified as a senior but actually has one more season of eligibility due to the COVID-19 exemption waivers granted by the NCAA to athletes last year. Whether it is one season or two, Joiner will be representing his hometown and family every dribble.

14 November/December 2021

“It’s really been everybody helping me. All the teammates, all the coaches,” Joiner said in preparation for this season. “Just being me everyday. Coming in, being ready to learn. Being a second extension behind coach on the floor and just being ready to go every day.” — Jarkel Joiner

OxfordMag.com 15

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LITERARY

AN EXCERPT FROM

DEAR WILLIAM: A FATHER’S MEMOIR OF ADDICTION BOOK PUBLICATION DATE NOV. 2, 2021 BY DAVID MAGEE PHOTOS SUBMITTED

OxfordMag.com 17

The officer standing in the doorway raised his arm when I stepped forward, blocking my entrance to my son’s apartment. I tried to peer over his blueuniformed shoulder to gaze around the corner to where the body of my son sat on the couch. My precious William — I saw him take his first breaths at birth, and I’d cried as I looked down at him and pledged to keep him safe forever. Now, within a day of his final breath, I wanted to see him again. “Please,” I said to the officer. “Listen,” he said, and I dragged my eyes from straining to see William to the officer’s face. His brown eyes were stern but not unkind. “You don’t want to see this.” “I do,” I said. “It’s my son.” He glanced over his shoulder, then back at me. “Death isn’t pretty,” he said. “He’s bloated. His bowels turned loose. That’s what happens when people die and are left alone for a day or more.” I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t. “And there’s something else,” he said. “What?”

18 November/December 2021

“He’s still got a $20 bill rolled up in his hand used for whatever he was snorting.” I felt the pavement beneath my feet seem to tilt. I reached to steady myself on the splintered doorjamb one of the officers had forced open with a crowbar just minutes before. At his hip, the officer’s radio squawked. I knew the ambulance would be here soon. “Your son — we found him with his iPad in his lap. It looks like he was checking his email to see what time he was due at work in the morning.” Yes, William was proud of holding down that job at the Apple Store. He was trying to turn things around. “It’s typical, really,” the officer continued. “That’s how addicts are. Snorting a fix while hoping to do right and get to work the next day. It’s always about the moment.” This past year, William had been the chief trainer at the Apple Store, and he’d been talking again about heading to law school, the old dream seeming possible once more now that he was sober. He seemed to have put the troubles of the

previous year, with his fits and starts in treatment, behind him. They’d kicked William out of one center in Colorado because he drank a bottle of cough syrup. Another center tossed him out because he and a fellow rehabber successfully schemed over two weeks to purchase one fentanyl pill each from someone in the community with a dental appointment. They swallowed their pills in secret, but glassy eyes ratted them out to other patients, who alerted counselors. When asked, William confessed, hoping the admission might move the counselors to give him a second chance. But they sent him packing back to Nashville, where his rehab treatment had begun. One counselor advised us to let William go homeless. “We’ll drop him off at the Salvation Army with his clothing and $10,” he said. “Often, that’s what it takes.” We knew that kind of tough-love, hitrock-bottom stance might be right, but our parental training couldn’t stomach abandoning our son to sleep at the Salvation Army. Instead, my wife and I drove five hours from our home in

Mississippi to Nashville to pick him up. He was fidgety but he hugged us firmly, looking into our eyes. We took him to dinner at Ruth’s Chris Steak House, and, Lord, it felt good to see his broad smile, our twenty-two-year-old son adoring us with warm, brown eyes. We told stories and laughed and smiled and swore the bites of rib eye drenched in hot butter were the best we’d ever had. The next morning, after deep sleep at a Hampton Inn under a thick white comforter with the air conditioner turned down so low William chuckled that he could see his breath, we found a substance treatment program willing to give him another chance. “This dance from one treatment center to another isn’t unusual,” a counselor explained at intake. “Parents drop their child off for a thirty-day treatment and assume it’s going to be thirty days. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.” My wife and I exchanged a look; that’s exactly what we’d thought the first time we got William treatment. Thirty days and we’d have our boy home, safe and healthy.

“This dance from one treatment center to another isn’t unusual,” a counselor explained at intake. “Parents drop their child off for a thirty-day treatment and assume it’s going to be thirty days. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.” My wife and I exchanged a look; that’s exactly what we’d thought the first time we got William treatment. Thirty days and we’d have our boy home, safe and healthy. The counselor continued, “If opiates and benzos are involved, it often takes eight or nine thirty-day stays before they find the rhythm of sobriety and selfassuredness. The hard part for them is staying alive that long.” When we left William in Nashville for that first thirty-day treatment, weeks before Thanksgiving, we imagined we’d have him home for Christmas. In early December, we bought presents that we expected to share, sitting around the tree

with our family of five blissfully together. But William needed more treatment. Thanksgiving turned into Christmas, and Christmas turned into the new year, and the new year turned into spring. We missed William so much, but finally, the treatment was beginning to stick. We saw progress in William’s eyes during rare visits, the hollowness carved by substances slowly refilling with remnants of his soul. Now, when parents ask me how they can

OxfordMag.com 19

tell if their kid is on drugs, I say, “Look into their eyes.” Eyes reveal the truth, and eyes cannot hide lies and pain. In William’s eyes, we saw hopeful glimmers that matched improved posture and demeanor. Progress, however, can become the addict’s worst enemy since renewed strength signals opportunity. Addicts go to rehab because substances knocked them down, yet once they are out of treatment and are feeling more confident, they forget just how quickly they can be knocked down again. Yet we, too, were feeling confident about William’s prospects. He’d always been scrappy, a hard worker. In college, he ran the fourhundred-meter hurdles in the Southeastern Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships, despite the fact that he had short legs for a college hurdler. He overcame that by being determined, confident, and quick. And all the time he was competing at the Division 1 level, he was an A student in the Honors College. He’d set his mind on law school and people had told us that with his resumé he could get into most any law school in America. During that year after his graduation, in 2012, when William was in and out of treatment, I decided to quit my job as a newspaper editor to spend more time with him. I wanted to keep an eye on his progress and be there if he started to slide, so I visited him in Nashville every other week. He worried I was throwing my career away, but I would throw away anything to help him. Also, I had a plan. Instead of the daily grind of 20 November/December 2021

editing a newspaper, I thought quitting might provide the opportunity to return to a book project I’d abandoned. The Greatest Fight Ever was my take on the John L. Sullivan versus Jake Kilrain bare-knuckle boxing match of the late 1800s. The SullivanKilrain fight was an epic heavyweight championship held in South Mississippi, lasting seventy-five rounds in sultry July heat, part showmanship theater and part brute brawl. I had researched the story for years and was once excited about explaining its role in the playing—and hyping—of sports today. I enjoyed sharing anecdotes over the years, like how the mayor of New Orleans served as a referee. Or that the notorious Midwestern gunslinger Bat Masterson took bets ringside on the fight, which set the standard for sports’ bigger-than-life culture that continues today. I had written other books by then, including some that found commercial success, but looking back at them from a distance, I judged none to be as excellent and useful as they could have been. I wanted the SullivanKilrain fight story to change that. But William noticed as we visited that my enthusiasm for the story had evaporated. I wasn’t spending time crafting the manuscript. “You need to finish your book,” William said that April when I visited him in Nashville. We were

eating breakfast at a café known for pancakes, but I was devouring bacon and eggs as William wrestled with a waffle doused with jelly. “I’m trying,” I said between sips of coffee. “It’s easy to tell a story, but it’s more difficult to tell a good story. That’s what I’m working at.” “You are a good writer. You can do it if you get focused.” “It’s hard to immerse yourself in a championship boxing match from the 1800s when you and your family are in the fight of a lifetime,” I said. William looked at me over his jelly-slathered waffle. He knew I wasn’t just referring to his struggles. I was referring to

my own as well. Two years earlier, I’d almost destroyed our family completely through a string of spectacularly bad decisions, and we, individually and collectively, were fragile. “William,” I said. “I’m worried about you. I’m worried about me. I’m worried about all of us.” We hadn’t talked so much about my own self-immolation. But now William turned to me. “I’m sorry if the mistakes I’ve made were what made it worse for you. I mean —” he looked off and took a breath. “For so long, I thought drugs were for fun, and I didn’t realize how deep I was in. And then it was too late. I needed them. I’m sorry for making it harder on

you and Mom.” “No, William, don’t put that on yourself. I caused my own problems. And I want to apologize to you too. I’m sorry for when you struggled in college and I was so caught up in my own life or career that I wasn’t there when you needed me. I failed you.” We went on that way for a while, saying the things that had burdened us, the things we’d needed to say for a long time. That weekend was our best, most direct connection in years. I was glad to sit beside my son over coffee and a breakfast we could live without for conversation we’d been dying for, glad I’d quit a decent editing job, glad even to stop pretending I was writing a book that no longer held my interest. “Maybe there’s another book you should be writing, Dad,” he said. “About sports?”

“About us.” I looked at his plate, the waffle barely eaten. I looked at his eyes, shining with encouragement. “Do you ever think maybe other people could learn something from hearing about our story? I mean, when we were growing up, no one would have looked at our family, this all-American family that pretty much lacked for nothing, and predict how bad we’d crash. But maybe hearing what happened to us could help people. Maybe that’s the story you should tell.” “Maybe we should tell it together,” I said after a bite. “I’m not ready yet,” he said. “But one day, we’ll do it.” “Yes,” I said, clutching his hand in mine. “One day, we’ll do it.” We said goodbye then and told each other we loved each other, and I walked to my car.

“Dad,” William called out. “Yeah?” I turned over my shoulder. “Make sure you finish that book,” he said. I stopped. “What book? The Greatest Fight Ever?” He smiled and waved goodbye. I wiped tears away, then drove home. That was the last time I ever saw my firstborn child.

Five sleeps later, William died. He didn’t plan on dying. But the early days of sobriety can be the loneliest days. And it’s never hard for an addict to find an excuse. Excerpted from Dear William: A Father’s Memoir of Addiction, Recovery, Love, and Loss by David Magee, available November 2, 2021 at Square Books in Oxford and elsewhere.

OxfordMag.com 21

HOME

& GARDEN

PARTY WAITIN’ TO HAPPEN How a mother and son duo feed the community BY MAYA MARTIN PHOTOS SUBMITTED OxfordMag.com 23

Ibby Morris recalls the moment a bride brought to her a banana pudding recipe. It wasn’t the kind you tear off the side of a particular wafer box, but a special and beloved banana pudding recipe that belonged to the groom’s late mother. Party Waitin’ to Happen often recreates beloved recipes for weddings and as a surprise, the bride wanted to recreate the pudding in honor of his mother. “We made it and put the name of the mother on it and he did not know until he arrived,” Ibby explains. “It was really cool.” The story recalled by Ibby of Party Waitin’ to Happen is an important goal in the Oxford-centric catering business’ efforts to create memories as well as feeding the community. From serving as personal chefs in intimate, two-person dinners to grand parties and events, Party Waitin’ to Happen caters to your every culinary need with their wide range of dishes and flavors. Out of classic hor d’oeuvres, barbecue specialties and vegetarian dishes to list a few categories, Party Waitin’ to Happen has something for everyone. The popular catering business is run by

24 November/December 2021

Chef Wiley Morris and his right hand, mother Ibby. This small but powerful duo have serviced gatherings and events in the region for the past 21 years and have shown no signs of slowing down. Wiley does not remember much about what started his love of cooking but he does remember taking a cooking class as a young teen. He and his mother drove two

hours to Jackson to take the class, where he was the only male in the entire room. Ibby has a longer memory than her son and remembers gifting to him a cookbook at the age of 8. Their neighbor at the time loved to have his help in the kitchen and she would let him cook whatever he wanted whenever he wanted. Ibby’s love for food and cooking started

from a young age. Born the third out of four children and raised by a widow in Macon, Ibby watched as her mother managed to work and provide for the family. “It was very interesting because when I was a little girl, mostly the people we entertained were family,” said Ibby. “Even though she worked all the time, she still put meals on the table for four children and family and it was fun.” She learned that it’s not about the price of the food but what the food symbolizes to people. “I learned early on it’s not the most important thing when you’re fooling with feeding people, it’s the interaction and service to the people,” Ibby reveals. “It’s not how fancy you can make it. It’s not how interesting you can make it, but the service to people is what matters the most.” As Ibby grew older, her

passion for entertaining grew along with her and she hosted many parties at her home that would require the help of her sons to move tables and set the stage for a party. “That’s how the name ‘Party Waitin’ to Happen’ came about because we were always having a party and they were always working,” said Ibby. She calls herself dull as dirt because she’s all work but Ibby is a key influence in the catering business and the reason Party Waitin’ to Happen came to be according to her son. Inspired by her son, Ibby attended the Culinary Arts Institute where a teacher asked what she planned to do with her new culinary skills. “I said, ‘I think I’m going to go into catering,’” she recalled with a laugh. Soon after, Ibby called her son who was working at a restaurant in Aspen, Colorado at

OxfordMag.com 25

that time and proposed starting a catering business to him. In a later conversation, Ibby described Wiley as “the funniest of all her children” and hints of it show when he admits that he moved to Aspen to become a “ski bum” as he calls it. Wiley had moved around the United States following high school and traveling to Texas before moving to San Francisco to attend California Culinary Academy. Through an internship opportunity, Wiley was able to go to the wine country every three months where he got to experience a different kind of cuisine from that found in Mississippi. “In Mississippi everything is fried, or at least it used to be,” said Wiley. “You’ll go to California and everything’s fresh and farm to table. It was a totally different experience.” He then followed his heart to the snowy slopes of Aspen and worked for two years before taking the chance to begin a life and business in Oxford. Oxford was the perfect start for Party Waitin’ to Happen. Wiley grew up in a rural area and he wanted to explore his future in a place that would offer him the best chances. It didn’t hurt that he could run his business and enjoy Ole Miss football games in the same place.

26 November/December 2021

“It’s a great community and they are very supportive of catering,” Wiley explained. “It has a small town feel to it even though it isn’t that small. Everybody looks after everybody.” The Oxford community and those in the greater region supported Party Waitin’ to Happen from their small beginnings through the tough times to where they are now. Numerous businesses closed their doors forever because of the COVID-19 pandemic,

but Wiley and Ibby feel blessed to still have Party Waitin’ to Happen and a supportive community backing them. “I realized when weddings went from over 100 down to 11 people and we still loved it that we were doing what we loved,” said Ibby. “It was rough but the things that we did, we loved doing. Fortunately we hung tight and this has been a year that’s really picked up. We’re real thankful that we’re able to do this.”

ARTS

& CULTURE

LOCAL BAND READY TO ROCK Madrik will perform at Proud Larry’s Nov. 12 BY DAVIS COEN PHOTOS BY MASON SHIVERS, TAKEN AT THE GREEN AT HARRISON’S

OxfordMag.com 27

Six-piece progressive rock and soulful funk band Madrik has been a breath of fresh air for Oxford live music fans since arriving on the scene in early-2019. The local “supergroup” consists of mainly seasoned players who’ve indulged in varieties of musical ventures around town for well over a decade. The group firmed up the designation of local music venue Proud Larry’s as their home base, with three successful live appearances there spanning from April 2019 to April 2020. Other appearances of note have included Batesville SpringFest, Wonderbird Distillery in Taylor, Mississippi, and most recently an October show at The Green at Harrison’s, a new outdoor venue on Harrison Avenue in Oxford. Along with most other things, Madrik got sidelined by COVID-19, and the band was left only to anticipate a fourth show at their home venue for well over a year. But on the evening of Friday, Nov. 12. The group returns, and a couple of the members recently provided insight into what the audience can expect. “We try to make every show new and unique,” said bassist Nathan Robbins. “We switch our setlist around a lot,” he said, adding that bandmates emphasize rehearsal time as a key element to the group’s growth. Robbins explained that with every rehearsal typically comes a new song – and sometimes multiple songs Or, a song the group had been working on, but was unable to yet perform live,

28 November/December 2021

Bassist Nathan Robbins

Johnny Lott (L), Eric Carlton (R) may come to fruition just in time for an upcoming show. Robbins said that with more time between shows, there is “more likelihood of new material.” With regards to what goes into preparation for a six-member music group, Robbins said, “we’re always trying to make it more efficient.” Robbins, who is also the IT Manager at North East Mississippi Electric Power Association, has a natural savvy for technology, which by default puts him in charge of much of the production aspect of the group. “I’m always looking at it from a production standpoint in the interest of, ‘what can I do to make everybody able to concentrate on the music, but also use technology and the advanced things we have access to - to make the experience better?’” Singer/guitarist Austin Smith also weighed in about the significant amount of preparation involved with Madrik. “The group is large and there is a lot to coordinate so we aren’t stepping on each other’s toes, in regard to sound dynamics,” he said. “Thankfully, Nate finds new, interesting ways to make everything a little bit easier for the next rehearsal or show.” Smith said Robbins, along with drummer/percussionist and founding member Bradley Gordon, will prepare the practice space (typically at Gordon’s studio in Water Valley) so that other members can, for the most part, just arrive and start

playing. “We can set up quickly and run off of ‘inear’ monitors, so we don’t waste time checking levels, etcetera. Granted a lot of the technical aspects go over my head, but he (Robbins) certainly understands it.” As far as the creative process of Madrik, Smith called it, “honestly, one of the more interesting processes of all the bands I’ve played in. No one comes in with a complete idea – just a cool beat, riff or progression, and we just play with it and keep the elements we like,” he said. “We record our practices so that we can have some time to build off those ideas.” And correlating with Robbins’ own assessment of the process, he added; “we’ve got a new song by the next time we hit it.” The band was originally the brainchild of Gordon, who had also performed for years under the name DJ Gordo, and pursued the idea of creating ‘house’-type music but with organic instrumentation. “Sort of electronic but with a live band,” said Robbins, to describe Gordon’s idea of building live music over a ‘four-on-the-floor’ beat, found most commonly in electronic music, or disco. But then it “evolved and morphed,” he said, of the band’s sound. “If you listen to some of our earlier tracks you can hear the house beat as the driving component,” Smith added. “Our newer stuff has borrowed elements from other genres, like funk, blues, and soul. We definitely have molded many genres and OxfordMag.com 29

display different elements of them through different songs. We’ve got material that’s very light, ethereal and dance-y – on to harder rock. All of us have different musical backgrounds, and that helps us create a rather unique sound.” The product of a musical family, and illustrious sideman for numerous regional musicians, Robbins distinguishes Madrik from other excursions by calling it a “collective creative experience.” He said, “no one person is building these tunes. They’re alive and flowing through the whole band. And everybody’s touch is on all of these songs. Not just from a performance perspective, but from their inception - which is a unique experience, especially with a band that size.” The unusual-sounding band name came about when founder Gordon’s young daughter went through a phase of being excited by magic, and would repeatedly mispronounce the word as maaadrik. “So, it’s kind of a take on magic, which it really is with all of us together,” said Robbins. “It’s sort of appropriate in that sense.” Similarly, to Robbins, Smith maintains other endeavors with hopes of sustaining and

30 November/December 2021

Austin Smith (L), Chris Steiner (R) bringing balance to his music. Aside from managing and bartending at Proud Larry’s, he’s currently doing an MBA program. Following suit, keyboardist/synthesizer player Eric Carlton has earned the leisure of his musical venture by enduring grueling hours as an RN at Baptist Memorial Hospital. Lead guitarist Chris Steiner works as a manager at Regions Bank, while drummer Johnny Lott, much like Robbins, has indulged in a myriad of local music projects.

Looking beyond the Nov. 12 show at Proud Larry’s, Smith said, “I think just as our sound has changed since 2018 up until now, it will continue to change. Luckily, we all think this project is pretty special, so we focus on keeping the sound unique and interesting. We’re really just trying to create something different, especially for this region.” Streaming music for Madrik is available at soundcloud.com/madrikmusic, and tickets for the Proud Larry’s show are at eventbrite.com.

READ THIS BOOK

BOOKS FOR Nov. Dec.

This issue’s book picks were hand-selected by Lyn Roberts, General Manager at Square Books for more than 20 years. She can usually be found behind the counter at Off Square Books - along with many of the titles below.

Perfect to Read and to Give Recommendations from

LYN ROBERTS General Manager, Square Books

Walter Anderson: The Extraordinary Life and Art of the Islander By Robert St. John & Anthony Thaxton Lavishly illustrated, this comprehensive book presents the amazing world of Walter Inglis Anderson in a thoughtful progression of his art and through poignant stories and observations by his wife, Sissy, and their four children: Mary, Billy, Leif, and John (who also wrote the foreword). Walter Anderson: The Extraordinary Life and Art of the Islander contains numerous rare photographs, artwork never before seen, and paintings lost through Hurricane Katrina.

These Precious Days: Essays By Ann Patchett

Shoot the Moonlight Out By William Boyle

The beloved New York Times bestselling author reflects on home, family, friendships and writing in this deeply personal collection of essays. “Any story that starts will also end.” As a writer, Ann Patchett knows what the outcome of her fiction will be. Life, however, often takes turns we do not see coming. Patchett ponders this truth in these wise essays that afford a fresh and intimate look into her mind and heart.

A haunting crime story about the broken characters inhabiting yesterday's Brooklyn, this is the new novel from modern master of neo-noir William Boyle. An explosive crime drama, Shoot the Moonlight Out evokes a mystical Brooklyn where the sidewalks are cracked, where Virgin Mary statues tilt in fenced front yards, and where smudges of moonlight reflect in puddles even on the blackest nights.

The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story By Nikole Hannah-Jones & The New York Times Magazine A dramatic expansion of a groundbreaking work of journalism, The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story offers a profoundly revealing vision of the American past and present. The New York Times Magazine’s award-winning “1619 Project” issue reframed our understanding of American history by placing slavery and its continuing legacy at the center of our national narrative. This new book substantially expands on that work, weaving together eighteen essays that explore the legacy of slavery in present-day America with thirty-six poems and works of fiction that illuminate key moments of oppression, struggle, and resistance. The essays show how the inheritance of 1619 reaches into every part of contemporary American society, from politics, music, diet, traffic, and citizenship to capitalism, religion, and our democracy itself.

OxfordMag.com 31

READ THIS BOOK Wild Spectacle: Seeking Wonders in a World Beyond Humans By Janisse Ray

Cat Kid Comic Club #02: Perspectives Written and illustrated By Dav Pilkey

Looking for adventure and continuing a process of self-discovery, Janisse Ray has repeatedly set out to immerse herself in wildness, to be wild, and to learn what wildness can teach us. From overwintering with monarch butterflies in Mexico to counting birds in Belize, the stories in Wild Spectacle capture her luckiest moments--ones of heart-pounding amazement, discovery of romance, and moving toward living more wisely. In Ray's worst moments she crosses boundaries to encounter danger and embrace sadness.

Cat Kid Comic Club is back in session in this groundbreaking graphic novel narrative by Dav Pilkey, the worldwide bestselling and award-winning author and illustrator of Dog Man. Flippy, Molly, Li'l Petey, and twenty-one baby frogs each have something to say. Naomi and Melvin don't see eye to eye and Poppy perceives the world differently than her siblings. Will the baby frogs figure out how to work together and appreciate one another's point of view -- both inside and outside the classroom?

Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Life By Professor Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan

Aaron Slater, Illustrator By Andrea Beaty and illustrated by David Roberts

Travel back to the time of dinosaurs and marvel at the wonders of prehistoric life! From the Tyrannosaurus rex and sabertoothed cats, to woolly mammoths and ferns, this dinosaur book for kids is packed with a collection of amazing plants, dinosaurs and prehistoric animals. Every page will captivate young readers who are interested in fossils and natural history!

An uplifting story about the power of art, finding your voice, and telling your story even when you’re out of step with your peers from the #1 bestselling creators of Sofia Valdez, Future Prez and Ada Twist, Scientist! Printed with a dyslexia-friendly font, Aaron Slater, Illustrator tells the empowering story of a boy with dyslexia who discovers that his learning disability may inform who he is, but it does not define who he is, and that there are many ways to be a gifted communicator.

The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present By Paul McCartney & edited by Paul Muldoon A work of unparalleled candor and splendorous beauty, The Lyrics celebrates the creative life and the musical genius of Paul McCartney through 154 of his most meaningful songs. With images from McCartney’s personal archives—handwritten texts, paintings, and photographs, hundreds previously unseen—The Lyrics, spanning sixty-four years, becomes the definitive literary and visual record of one of the greatest songwriters of all time.

32 November/December 2021

Jan Brett’s The Nutcracker Written and illustrated by Jan Brett Jan Brett's striking illustrations and the Christmas classic The Nutcracker are a match made in picture book heaven. Brett makes this classic her own by setting it in snowy Russia and adding whimsical touches to the favorite elements of the traditional ballet. Enjoying this book will be an instant Christmas tradition for families who love the ballet and those new to the story. As perfect a gift as Jan Brett's classics The Mitten and The Night Before Christmas.

Out of My Heart by Sharon M. Draper

Jan Brett’s The Nutcracker written and illustrated by Jan Brett

Melody faces her fears to follow her passion in this stunning sequel to the acclaimed, New York Times bestselling middle grade novel Out of My Mind. Melody, the huge-hearted heroine of Out of My Mind, is a year older, and a year braver. And now with her Medi-talker, she feels nothing’s out of her reach, not even summer camp. There have to be camps for differentlyabled kids like her, and she’s going to sleuth one out. By the light of flickering campfires and the power of thunderstorms, through the terror of unexpected creatures in cabins and the first sparkle of a crush, Melody’s about to discover how brave and strong she really is.

Jan Brett's striking illustrations and the Christmas classic The Nutcracker are a match made in picture book heaven. Brett makes this classic her own by setting it in snowy Russia and adding whimsical touches to the favorite elements of the traditional ballet. Enjoying this book will be an instant Christmas tradition for families who love the ballet and those new to the story. As perfect a gift as Jan Brett's classics The Mitten and The Night Before Christmas.

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR

Pam Swain

Senior Vice President Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce PHOTOS BY JOEY BRENT

Q: What is the best part of your position as senior vice president of the Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce? A: I am so blessed to get to do a job that I love! My favorite thing about my job is the people. I get the opportunity to work with the greatest volunteers that collaborate together because they truly love this community and want to see it succeed. I also love getting to work with the businesses and our members. Every day I get to work directly with business owners large and small, entrepreneurs with new ideas, nonprofits that are working for the better good, and even individuals who just want to become a member of the chamber to grow their personal network and get to know others in this community. Q: What do you wish every person in Oxford knew about the Chamber? A: I want people to understand the depth of the Chamber and the impact that it has on this community. Most people see the photos and the ribbon-cutting‘s and think that is the biggest part of what the Chamber does. However, the Chamber is about being the bridge between the people of the community and the businesses in the community—and working together to promote and support the success of business, and creating the best city possible to live in in this entire beautiful

state of Mississippi. Oxford is one of a kind because of all the people and the work that is done together in this community. Q: What is one thing people are surprised to learn about you? A: I think one thing people would be surprised to learn about me is that my absolute favorite thing to do with my family is to go camping in our camper. Covid brought us all closer together and for my family that included lots of road trips it in our camper. We got to travel to places that we’ve always wanted to go but haven’t had as much time available to do so. We have taken our camper all the way from the Ozarks in Arkansas down to the beaches of Alabama and many places in between and we are only getting started. My new happy place is wherever we park it, because we are together! The gift of being able to travel more together as a family and truly unplug from electronics and all the other distractions in our daily lives is priceless. Q: Looking into November December holiday season in Oxford, what are you most looking forward to and why? A: November and December are two of my favorite months to be in Oxford and there are so many things that I’m looking forward to this season. I cannot wait to see the beautiful canopy of lights that covers our Oxford Square lit up for the holiday season.

Sometimes I think we all have to pinch ourselves to believe this is our hometown! We get to live here! This year we’re going to have so many fun new elements during the holiday season to enjoy, with Visit Oxford’s new ice-skating at the old armory pavilion in early December, plus the Chamber’s Shop Oxford Holiday Open House that will kick off the holiday season on November 7. There will be so many glorious holiday events filling up the calendar in between it all, I just can’t wait for it to all kick off! Q: If you planned the perfect day in Oxford, what would you do? A: A perfect day in Oxford is no doubt spent with my family doing all the things that we love. With three boys, most of our days are pretty hectic- filled with work, practices, meetings, and ballgames. But even those days I would consider perfect days. A day that starts at one ball field watching one boy playing a sport he loves and ends at another ball field with another one playing another sport that he loveswell that sounds like a perfect day to me. In between sporting events we would hit up some of our favorite spots in Oxford for some of the south’s best food, grab a great cup of local coffee, probably grab some frozen yogurt, and maybe even squeeze in a little shopping. Sounds like a perfect day to me! OxfordMag.com 33

34 November/December 2021

& DRINK

FOOD

FALL FOOD FARE

Menus Change with the Seasons at Sola BY DAVIS COEN PHOTOS SUBMITTED OxfordMag.com 35

Chef Erika Lipe with father Casey Lipe at SoLa Grand Opening event in August, 2019.

SoLa restaurant off the Square is gearing up for what Chef Erika Lipe calls one of her favorite menus of the year. “There’s always a change when the weather breaks. We switch to some braised meats and things like that,” she said enthusiastically. Lipe, a Panola County native wears many hats for the restaurant, with roles including chef, general manager, co-owner – and she joked, “resident psychologist,” and “horse wrangler.” She also expressed excitement and anticipation for “short ribs season,” and plans to continuously make menu adjustments leading into Christmas

36 November/December 2021

time. “We change the menu a lot, seasonally, and then sometimes within the season we make a few adjustments as well,” said Lipe. With regard to what goes into selecting menu items, she said “the whole thing we just kind of base off of what is fresh and what’s available, and also just by listening to our customers and what they like.” Autumn features so far have included: Curried Roast Beef & Okra Gumbo Noodles with Black-Eyed Peas, Cabbage, Jalapeños and Fresh Herbs; Shrimp Namya Curry Noodle Soup with Green Beans, Smashed Cucumbers, Jammy Egg and Crunchy

Shallots; and Dragonfruit Sour BeerBattered Chicken Pad Thai. Also, Beefy French Onion Ramen Noodle Soup has been a recent offering for the growingly popular “Ramen Noodle Night,” which happens at SoLa every Thursday. Another consistent weekly draw for customers is “Spaghetti Night,” which continues to occur on Wednesdays. With regards to the latter, Lipe said it celebrates her grandmother’s recipe. “We wanted to be able to offer something that was really economical – like a nice cheap special that’s delicious – and that one just made sense, because it’s a simple recipe, and

Whiten & Brighten

just in time for Christmas

OxfordMag.com 37

humble recipe. It has humble beginnings but it’s delicious, so that just kind of worked with what we were trying to do,” she said. “Yeah, we’re a restaurant on the Square, but you don’t have to break the bank to come eat here. You can get an entrée for ten bucks and a glass of wine for $5. All of a sudden,” Lipe added, by turning out Grandma’s spaghetti dish on a weekly basis, she had a “cool thing going on.” The restaurant opened its doors in August, 2014, and was named The Wine Bar until rebranded in August 2019. According to Lipe, the idea of a wine bar was the brainchild of her business partners, the Valentines, a family from Meridian who had all attended Ole Miss. “They love the Oxford community and wanted to do something to add to it. They had fallen in love with some wine bars throughout their travels and thought that Oxford could use one.” At the beginning, Lipe recalled, she observed customers that were coming into Wine Bar, and sort of watched and

Lipe’s grandmother’s simple but delicious spaghetti dish, offered weekly on ‘Spaghetti Night’ at SoLa.

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$2.50 Margaritas with the purchase of a meal OxfordMag.com 39

Truffle Fries listened to decide what they were looking for and desiring. Although the wine bar concept didn’t seem to take, what she did notice was people wanting to come to sit and eat. She concluded of Oxford patrons that they “don’t really particularly just want small plates and little munchie things – they want meals ... they want appetizers, they want entrees, desserts and the whole nine yards.” Lipe credits the ideas of Spaghetti Night and Ramen Night, along with continued experimentation with dinner specials, with finally engaging the local dining crowd and bringing 40 November/December 2021

folks to identify them as not just a wine bar, but a restaurant. “We decided that the next move for us, to be able to kind of catapult into the amount of business that we were looking to do, would be to really rebrand the whole place as a new restaurant, and as a restaurant.” With some help from a marketing team, and a little brainstorming between the Valentine family and herself, Lipe said they finally arrived at the name SoLa. “It was cute because it’s kind of short for South Lamar (Boulevard) – and also, because of my affinity for New

Orleans,” where she received much of her hands-on training. Lipe also credits the abundance of Asian culture in New Orleans, particularly Vietnamese and Chinese, for influencing her culinary approach as well as contributing to the significance of a hint of South Louisiana in the new name. “It just turned out really good. It was wellaccepted,” she said. “People ... even if they didn’t know what was going on, they still wanted to try a new restaurant. The Oxford community is great about supporting new stuff like that.” And as far as the customers

Chef Erika Lipe enjoying conversation with patrons at SoLa Grand Opening event in August, 2019. who particularly enjoyed the wine bar concept, Lipe said they were for the most part unphased by the change. Supported by using her grandmother’s spaghetti recipe, Lipe credits growing up in a family of skillful cooks for the ease of her transition into the culinary realm, when she got her first restaurant job as a college student. She described her family, who were often entertaining, and their get-togethers, as “food centric.” Lipe explained that her paternal grandfather competed on the

barbecue circuit after retiring, and would always have smoked meats at the house. “My grandmothers were all fantastic cooks too, because they’re old Mississippi ladies who grew up on farms,” she said. “It was really just a natural progression for me.” “My mom’s dad had a grocery store – he was a butcher. And again, my grandfathers were bringing meat home, and my grandmothers were cooking,” said Lipe. “My parents were big entertainers. They had dinner parties at the house all the time. I just grew up around food

centric gatherings - which I guess is really kind of a Southern thing. That’s kind of how we act around here,” she joked. Although she attended college in New Orleans, her culinary training has been entirely hands-on. “It’s all ‘hard knocks,’” she said. “I just have worked in restaurants forever. The Chef also credits her chosen career path to her affinity for science as a kid. “The chemistry involved with cooking just kind of resonated with me I guess.” For more information and updates, visit SolaOxford.com. OxfordMag.com 41

021 has continued to be a challenging year for our community, but especially non-profits who have a mission to help others. Local businesses partnered with charities to help them get their story out about the ways they help and how we can help them continue their mission. Consider these charities for your end of year giving.

42 November/December 2021

Oxford Animal Rescue Center FINDING HOMES FOR THE ONES WHO NEED IT THE MOST BY MAYA MARTIN SPONSORED BY STOUT FLOORING

he Oxford Animal Resource Center is wholly committed to taking good care of the pets of Oxford and Lafayette County and finding them good homes with much needed help from the community. After the city of Oxford parted ways with Mississippi Critterz after the confirmation of animal neglect, overcrowding and lack of medical care, the city went without a shelter for three months before coming back around to start the ARC. “It went so long without animal control in the area while things were switching hands,” ARC Director Nicole Young said. “We had a little bit of a bottleneck effect when it came to stray animals.” Young has spent the majority of her life in animal welfare. She came to Oxford from Memphis, where she served as the head of customer care for the Memphis Animal Center for the last three years and worked as lead nurse at an emergency veterinarian clinic prior to her time at MAC. “It is definitely a life passion to see every animal treated just as well as animals in a home,” said Young. The ARC is working to the best of its ability but they are encountering an overabundance of stray animals— a problem that is plaguing the entire county— but they are hard at work to take in as many stray animals as possible, according to Young. “We are being as proactive as we can and we have transports going to the northwest and the northeast to get [pets] up there where they’re really, really wanted,” she said. Young knows of the community’s hesitance to support the new center, but she said the ARC will be waiting when the public

decides to give them a chance. “We do have some people who still have that lack of trust and I completely understand it based on the stories I was told,” said Young. “I understand some of the people who aren’t ready to turn that leaf over yet, but the first time we really needed some donations, Oxford showed up and showed out.” According to Young, ARC received thousands of pounds of dog food, multiple crates, beds and cat toys. “Overall given the history, we’ve been pretty well accepted,” she said. The LOU community is welcome to donate wet and dry dog and cat food, wire pet crates and toys to provide much needed

enrichment to the animals. Additional items the ARC would appreciate are food bowls for pets, powdered milk replacement for cats and dogs, animal beds in all sizes and a puppy nursing station or mini miracle nipples with syringes for feeding newborn animals. Young and the ARC team hope to change the public’s perspective on stray animals and increase the adoption rate for their sheltered animals. “Just because they’re strays doesn’t mean they love you any less or deserve any less love,” she said. “We’re changing people’s view of a stray animal into a ‘fur child.’” Young encourages getting to know ARC and building a trusting relationship with the LOU community. Everyone is encouraged to visit and, if adoption isn’t on the table, volunteers are always welcome to love on the pets. “I’m hoping that the trust is built back up and people want these animals, look at these animals and see the care that they are given,” said Young. OxfordMag.com 43

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