EDITOR’S LETTER
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By JESSE WRIGHT
ELCOME
It’s hard to stay grumpy during the holidays. Yes, there is the stress of cooking, travelling and getting just the right gifts for friends and family. But there are also Christmas parties, parades, pretty lights, eggnog, jackets and scarves and, well, lots of food. There are also our family members, of whom each and every one is counted as a blessing. We are also fortunate to live in a part of the world where it
doesn’t get too cold, because as pretty and magical as the first snowfall is, the magic wears off by the fifth or sixth day. Yet, seasonal benefits aside, it is the community, as always, that keeps us smiling. All year round, it seems like, there’s something to feel good about here in Pearl River County. Inside this edition of the magazine, you will read about one of the oldest houses in
Picayune, you’ll read about a man who works hard all day at Stennis, comes back home to teach Taekwondo well into the evening. You can also discover one of the few remaining dairies in the county and the family that’s keeping it going strong, three generations on.
Also, don’t neglect the story about two different local artists and you’ll read about a health trend that’s packing fitness classes in Picayune. If this sounds like a wide variety of subjects, it is. That’s what we mean when we say our community is the main attraction. We have towns with quite a lot of character. Not that we needed to remind you of that. So sit back, relax and enjoy real stories about real people. As the year winds to a close, we wish you and yours a happy new year.
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CONTENTS 7 NEW YOU?4
Items to help keep those New Year’s Resolutions.
36 WHERE AM I? Test your knowledge of Picayune & see if you can identify our secret locale.
8 KICKIN’ IT: Decades ago Bret Barras stepped into a Taekwondo studio in Poplarville. It was love at first hit.
11 MASTERSTROKE: Most people know James Whitfield as a furniture salesman. But he also spent decades filling canvases.
17 SOUTHERN CHARM: For 15 years Jamie Bilbo worked as a contract painter. Then one day he set his creative side free.
20 AROUND AND AROUND: Spin class toughens up the body and it also strengthens friendships.
14 ON THE COVER
This photogenic bovine, fed by Everlyn of Petal Primary School, is a resident of Country Girl’s Creamery in Pearl River County. She and her sisters make sure county residents are well-stocked in cream, butter and milk. Photo by Cassandra Favre
STAFF JEREMY PITTARI Publisher JESSE WRIGHT Managing Editor WRITERS Cassandra Favre Ashley Collins Chris Marquette
ADVERTISING Ashley Gros Molly Magee COMPOSITION Debra Howell Duey Entrekin
ALSO INSIDE: 5 CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Browse the calendar page for a look at this season’s upcoming activities.
INFORMATION: Picayune Living is published four times per year by Picayune Newsmedia, LLC. All content is subject to copyright. POSTMASTER: Please send any changes of address or undeliverable information attn: Picayune Item, P.O. 580, Picayune, MS 39466
4 WINTER 2015
26 OUT & ABOUT
See who’s attending the city’s premier events.
23 LABOR OF LOVE: After spending her childhood at her grandparents’ home, Helen Hunter Knight keeps its memory alive.
31 WHY I LOVE PICAYUNE Eddie Smith’s office may be in Poplarville, but he calls Picayune home.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS JANUARY 9 KREWE OF THE PEARL THIRD ANNUAL MARDI GRAS BALL Join the Krewe of the Pearl as they host the third Annual Mardi Gras Ball with the king and the queen. The theme is A Mystical Masquerade. Music will be provided and there will be heavy hors d’oeuvres. Formal attire requested, masks required. The fun starts at 6 p.m. and will run until midnight at the Centraplex. Tickets are $50 for Krewe members at $65 for non-members. JANUARY 16 KREWE OF THE PEARL MARDI GRAS PARADE The Krewe will begin the Mardi Gras parade at Crosby Commons, 801 Goodyear Boulevard and will roll eastbound down Goodyear Boulevard starting at 2 p.m. The parade will kick off at 2 p.m. and will end near Applebee’s. JANUARY 16 PINECONES AND PEANUT BUTTER CHILDREN’S WORKSHOP Wildlife need extra nutrients through the winter, so do the birds—and your kids—a favor and bring the family to the Crosby Arboretum. Children will learn how to make delightful treats such as peanut butter pinecone feeders and create “bird butter,” guaranteed to attract birds and other wildlife. All materials provided. Cost is $3 for members and $5 for non-members. JANUARY 30 FORGE DAY AT THE CROSBY ARBORETUM Come see how metal used to be worked at this daylong family friendly event. The day will feature metalworkers from across the region and blacksmithing techniques will be demonstrated. Enjoy the demonstrations or try your hand at making the sparks fly yourself. Members get in free and it’s $5 for non-member adults and $2 for kids. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. FEBRUARY 6 CROSBY ARBORETUM WINTER FIELD WALK DAY Tour the arboretum with Director Pat Drackett and get introduced to the beautiful side of winter. Learn about native plants and how to incorporate some native species into your home or garden. This is a great preview for the native plant sale. Members can tour free and it’s $5 for non-members. FEBRUARY 13 CROSBY ARBORETUM NATIVE PLANT SALE Want a beautiful tree or shrub that won’t require too much work? Come on out and pick out something green at the arboretum. The sale goes from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and admission is free. Please use the service entrance. MARCH 19 PICAYUNE MAIN STREET’S ROCKIN’ AND GRILLIN’ PALOOZA This annual spring festival will feature a barbecue cook-off, the popular Boulevard Cruisers, live music and more. Come to Jack Read Park and the downtown area for a day of entertainment. PICAYUNEITEM.COM 5
WHERE AM I? By JESSE WRIGHT
OUTSIDE LOOKING IN Do you know where this picture was taken? If you do, then send your guess to news@picayuneitem. com or post it on Picayune Item’s Facebook page. We will unveil the location in the next edition of Picayune Living. LAST EDITION: The photo below was featured in our fall edition of Picayune Living. This distinct design is stamped onto the side of the post office building downtown. Congratulations to those of you who recognized the location of this feature. Main image and inset by Jesse Wright
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New Year. New You? Items to help keep those New Year’s Resolutions Keep your life on track this year with a 12-month planner from MeLinda’s Fine Gifts. You’ll never miss an appointment or lunch date again. The planner can be found at MeLinda’s Fine Gifts, located at 1 Sycamore Road in Picayune.
SEVEN ON 7 By A SHLE Y COLLINS & C A SSANDR A FAVRE
When you’re on the hunt, go out in style sporting these pink camouflage hunting gloves from Longleaf Farm and Garden, located at 104 West Magnolia St. in Poplarville.
The Original Muck Boot Company boots are built to endure tough weather conditions, such as rain and snow, and features Xpresscool lining and an anti-friction sockliner. The boots can be found at Longleaf Farm and Garden, located at 104 West Magnolia St. in Poplarville. Take a trip to Bubbles and Bliss on 117 West Canal St. in Picayune to pick up items from Aromafloria. This foaming bubble bath and massage oil, is infused with lavender, chamomile and sage, will help you manage stress in the new year.
Replace fast-food items and frozen meals with fresh fruits and vegetables. Claiborne Hill, located at 2308 Highway 11 in Picayune, has a wide variety of fresh foods in their produce department. Decided to quit smoking this year? Then pick up a starter vaping kit from Infused Custom Herbal Infusions, located at 209 West Canal St. in Picayune. There are about 1,000 flavors of e-juice to choose from.
If you’ve decided to become more fit this year, pick up this handy FitBit at Poplarville Hardware and Electronics, an authorized Radioshack dealer, located at 431 South Main St.
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KICKIN’ IT By JESSE WRIGHT
Taekwondo instructor brings his love of the art to students young and old 8 WINTER 2015
“I WANTED TO LEARN HOW TO CONTROL SOMEONE WHO’S ATTACKING ME WITHOUT HURTING THEM…” Bret Barras always wanted to do martial arts, and when a Taekwondo school opened up in Picayune, he figured he’d check it out. “I was going to PRCC, taking an electronics course,” he said. “I was 26 at the time. I told my friend we should go take it, so we started.” Barras said at first he wanted to get into martial arts because it looked like a cool way to exercise. “First you just want to learn to fight… And, I always liked working out,” he said. And also, Barras said he wanted to learn to physically control someone with finesse, as opposed to brute force. “I wanted to learn how to control someone whose attacking me without hurting them,” he said. After spending some time in the Poplarville Taekwondo studio, Barras found himself loving the Korean martial art, and the system became something more than a method of defense—it became a passion. Taekwondo would become such a passion for Barras that even now, decades later and despite the fact that Barras has a full time job at the electronics calibration laboratory at the Stennis Space Center, he will leave work at 4:30 p.m., drive to Picayune and turn on the lights at his own studio to begin training classes. The lights at Picayune Taekwondo, his West Canal Street studio, don’t shut off until sometime after 8 p.m., and classes are held every weekday aside from Wednesday, which he sets aside for church. Barras said he doesn’t see any end to the long days anytime soon. He loves his lab research job, and in the martial arts studio he gets to teach something he’s passionate about. “You know, buying your own insurance is brutal,” he said. “Plus, working in the lab, it’s easy and clean and safe. … But who knows. Who knows? I don’t see any end in sight.
It is tough. It makes for 14-hour days. But after 20 years, it’s just what you do.” Barras has been at his current location for nearly two decades, but he took over the business several years earlier, after his instructor’s knees gave out. He had to write a business plan and figure out how to run a small studio, but Barras said he wanted to continue classes for anyone who might be interested, and in the intervening years, he’s made some lifelong friendships. “Some of the black belts that grew up with me here, they started when they were 10 or 11 or 12, and some of them are like my own children now, and some of them are in their 30s.” Some now bring their own kids to Barras. Today Barras is a seventh-degree black belt (out of nine degrees) and his love for the sport is contagious. On any given weeknight, visitors can see students ranging from elementary school kids to adults, sweating, kicking and blocking and, most of all, having fun. Barras points out that his classes
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are safe. No one should get injured if they’re following the rules. “It’s not MMA,” he said. Students wear pads, and even with the pads, there are certain areas students can’t punch or kick. “We follow Olympic-style sparring but without the power.” In fact, Barras said one of his instructors is in his 60s, and he’s known Taekwondo masters who are in their 70s. He said older adults could find unique benefits in Taekwondo, as it helps sustain agility and balance. “They might not be able to fight someone, but it’s teaching them something,” he said. “If nothing else, it’s teaching them balance. Because a lot of people, when they get older, they end up losing balance and falling and breaking a hip.” John Hays, an adult and a father of eight, said he highly recommends Barras’ classes. Hays said all of his kids have taken Taekwondo courses with Barras and he is also a student. “I liked the school. I liked Mr. Barras,” said Hays. “I
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liked the instructors. Adult Taekwondo is fun. I highly recommend it, for anybody. I’ve been fortunate. Most adults who do Taekwondo, it’s a great camaraderie. The funnest experience is when you compete and spar with people from another school. You don’t know what you’re getting into and so it’s exhilarating. I don’t want a trophy or a ribbon, I want to spar because I enjoy sparring.”
MASTERSTROKE By JESSE WRIGHT
Masterstroke: How one man threw his passion into painting
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WHITFIELD SAID HE TOOK TO PAINTING QUICKLY, AND HE LOVED THE TIME HE SPENT PAINTING. James Whitfield is a man of many skills. Around Picayune, his furniture store, James’ Furniture, is a fixture. The large store on Memorial Boulevard is filled with couches, beds, living room sets and, on the wall, paintings. He created most of the paintings and those he didn’t are the product of his wife, Montie. Whitfield no longer paints; he hasn’t in years. These days his extra time and energy are given to his cattle business. “It takes up all my time, with the farming and the furniture business. But I keep saying I am going to get back.” Whitfield painted for years. By his own estimate, he’s painted a few hundred works—everything from copies of the old masters—he did a strikingly exact copy of Vermeer’s “Girl with the Pearl Earring” and Renoir’s “The Boating Party”— portraits of his children and animals. Some of the paintings he’s held on to, others he has sold or given away. His daughter has quite a few, he said. “She’s got her walls filled with them, and we’ve got our walls filled with them. If we ever moved to a smaller house, we’d have to sell some paintings,” he said. Whitfield began creating art in 1984, after his wife discovered the hobby. What lured Whitfield into art wasn’t his wife’s interest however, but a photo he took. “But really what triggered my art was, I was up at Montie’s parent’s house in South Carolina. I think it was when my father in law died,” he said. “They had this old house they used to live in. I took a picture of it, and it was so good I wanted a painting of it. So she took it to (her art teacher) Margaret (McGinnis) and Margaret painted us one. … That kind of got me, it triggered the art.” Whitfield said it was the first time he’d really tried art since he
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was a child, and back then he didn’t do it seriously. “I used to scratch,” he said. He said he’d try to draw the horse head on his Blue Horse Notebook cover, but it didn’t go much beyond that. Like most beginners, Whitfield said he had to work to get better. “I just started drawing with a pencil, and it looked terrible,” he said. “I just kept correcting until I got it where I wanted.” But soon he said he wanted to paint. He was directed to June Lampe, a Metairie-based art teacher.
“I took art with her for a long time,” he said. Whitfield said she taught him every major painting technique. “Watercolor, wash, oil painting, … its too numerous to mention all the techniques but the one I like the best is the old master oil technique,” he said. “It’s a forgiving method. If you make a mistake with the oils, you can just paint over it.” Whitfield said he took to painting quickly, and he loved the time he spent doing it. “It’s just fun; I just really enjoyed it,” he said. “It takes your mind off everything else when you’re working on a painting. It excludes everything else.”
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COUNTRY GIRL By C A SSANDR A FAVRE
FRESH FROM THE FARM Folks in Pearl River County can still get
Folks in Pearl River County can still get fresh dairy products close to home
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LUMBERTON NATIVE RIAHNELL SMITH WAS BORN INTO A DAIRY FARMING FAMILY, A TRADITION HE AND HIS SON, BUTCH, KEEP ALIVE AT COUNTRY GIRL’S CREAMERY. Both of his grandfathers were dairy farmers and after graduating Poplarville High School and Pearl River Community College’s agricultural program, Riahnell bought a plot of land and started farming in 1973. “About the only way a person can make a living is farming,” Riahnell said. “You could milk about 50 to 60 cows a day and make a living. However, in order to survive, a dairy farmer would have to expand his dairy, process milk and diversify his products.” According to Country Girl’s website, there were almost 350 dairies in Pearl River County in the mid-1950s; now there are three. Riahnell’s son Butch, who is co-owner of the dairy, said since 2009, there has been a decline in Mississippi’s dairy industry, due to a farmer’s lack of control over milk prices and the fact that the cows must be milked seven days a week. However, since 2010, the Smiths have been steadily supplying the county with fresh dairy products made at the local creamery. “There’s a demand for fresh products,” Riahnell said, “and people want to know where their food comes from and how the animals are
treated.” Riahnell milks about 100 to 110 Jersey cows twice a day, a breed he said he prefers because their milk is higher in protein and calcium. The cows are primarily grass-fed, but also need carbohydrates, such as grains, to break the proteins down. During the spring and summer months, the cows feast on peas, sorghum, millet, Bahia, crab grass and Bermuda. In the winter, their diet consists of oats and rye grass. After milking, “the ladies,” as Riahnell refers to his cows, stroll through one of eight pastures on the 342 acre farm. “Other than the land a farmer owns, the animals are the biggest investment he has,” Riahnell said. “Jersey cows are curious and gentle and we handle them a lot. At three days old, we take the babies away from their mothers and bottle-feed them. They become imprinted with that human and are used to being handled.” Once the cows are milked, the milk is transferred to tanks and cooled to about 36 or 38 degrees, Riahnell said. Next the milk is pasteurized at a low temperature of 145 degrees versus a standard 190 degrees, Butch said. The heating process kills
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harmful bacteria. Once cooled, the milk is bottled and then the Smiths use the milk to make cheese, butter, cream and yogurt. Country Girl’s milk is non-homogenized, which means the cream rises to the top of the jar. “During the 1940s, the purpose of distributing milk in glass bottles was so people could skim the cream to make butter,” Butch said. “Research shows after homogenization, fat absorption in the intestines is more difficult, which can
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lead to high cholesterol. Milk being in its natural state is better. Our cheese is also made without dyes or artificial preservatives.” Since the cows are grass-fed, the average milking age is longer, Riahnell said. But, as the cows get older, they develop more health problems and aren’t as efficient. At about 5-years-old, the cows are turned out to pasture. In an effort to keep the public informed about dairy farming, the Smiths host a yearly festival and conduct field trips for students. “I like the way we dairy, process and sell directly to individuals,” Butch said. “I like to know and meet our customers. They know us, our cows and our practices. It’s rewarding to be able to satisfy the person that you’re selling to.”
SOUTHERN CHARM By CHRIS MARQUE T TE
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JAMIE BILBO AND HIS WIFE, AMANDA, BOTH WORK TOGETHER—HE DOES THE FINISHING AND SHE TAKES CARE OF THE BUSINESS ASPECT Jamie Bilbo has been a paint contractor for about 15 years where he specialized in houses and cabinets. He started branching out by refinishing and restoring wood furniture for his friends and family. There was such a good response that they opened their own business, Southern Boy Furniture. Bilbo and his wife, Amanda, both work together—he does the finishing and she takes care of the business aspect and retouches wall decorations. He gets a number of the items from estate sales and individuals in the area. He specializes in vintage and handcrafted pieces because the couple likes the vintage, distressed and shabbychic style. Molding the piece is all a part of his artistic process. Initially, Bilbo went to work for various finance companies. He wasn’t happy in that line
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of work, so he moved on to something he enjoys more—painting houses. It’s clear he made the right decision. “He loves taking something old and working on it—to transform it and seeing how different it is. Making something new out of it and seeing how much people enjoy it. He loves the process of creating and transforming,” Amanda Bilbo said. “His father was a house painter and since he was a kid he’s helped him. He’s always had a knack for it, but then at school, he took some art classes…he’s always liked to draw. Although he has a degree in business, he just kept going back to painting and working with that sort of stuff—it’s what he enjoys.” The couple’s favorite piece is an antique buffet with a tile backsplash. Though Amanda originally convinced her husband to take on the
task, they completed the work together. They do a lot of neutral color pieces, greys, tans, and turquoises and incorporate pastels. Jamie uses a number of different paints for his projects: such as chalk
paint, which has a very smooth texture to it, cabinet coat that is a thicker, harder paint. Ultimately, it depends on the piece of furniture. He said if the piece is going to get more wear and tear it will need a
stronger paint. Most of the paint he uses is low volatile in order to be conscious of the environment. The Southern Boy story shows how a natural drive can organically turn into a work of passion.
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GET FIT By CHRIS MARQUE T TE
POPULAR SPIN CLASS COMBINES HARD WORKOUT WITH GREAT BEATS AND GOOD VIBES You’ve probably seen a spinning class in your gym—a number of people cycling vigorously in a group to music while drenched in sweat. But spinning is not just an hour-long exercise session where you ride a bike for physical fitness. At Kimberly Stephens’ spin class at The Cornerstone Health Club, it’s a group experience that is so popular, people have to reserve a bike. “It’s really hard, but we’re all in it together. It’s a great cardio workout and we do a lot of upper body stuff with free weights so it’s not just straight cardio,” Stephens said.
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“You’re in there for an hour and it’s a sweat dripping power hour, but it’s fun. We all hold each other accountable. If somebody is not there one day I’m gonna say ‘where were you?’ next time I see them. We’re more of a family type atmosphere and we all go out to eat when we celebrate each other’s weight loss and goals.” Emily Thigpen has been a member of the gym for years, but started coming to spin class a year and a half ago. She says Stephens’ class provides her the push she needs to reach her fitness goals. “She’s such a strong motivator. The classes are always difficult, but inclusive and that’s why I keep coming back,” Thigpen said. Thigpen began the classes after she decided she wanted to lose some baby weight, and heard that the class was high energy and cardio-focused, which were two contributing factors she believed would help her achieve her goal. Not only has Thigpen achieved her fitness goal, but she said she made some good friends in the process. “Now it’s turned into all the girls are very close and know each others’ children. So that’s been a good part of it too,” Thigpen said. “I look forward to going, and we all say we’re addicted and the classes get so full. We have to reserve our bikes because the class gets so full and I know that if I don’t call by 8 a.m. I might miss my bike and that definitely gets you going, even though the class isn’t until 5:30 p.m.” Chantel Theady, another regular, said she started spinning because she was bored with the same old routine on the elliptical machine and the treadmill. She was informed by some friends that she should try spinning— she has stuck with it for almost three years now. The bikes are grey, specialized stationary bicycles that are equipped with a weighted flywheel which simulates the momentum of an actual bicycle. “I was so nervous to try it, and I loved it. When I first started her classes I actually lost weight and now I’m just kinda toning and building muscle,” Theady said. “The music is hip-hop so it’s fun and it’s not a boring workout. She changes the music, different routines—it’s always exciting music.” Not only is the class a fun, exciting atmosphere, it also provides an efficient workout.
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To help defray our expenses, our beautiful center is available for rental. Call for more information regarding your special event.
HOMEM ADE By A SHLE Y COLLINS
LABOR OF LOVE Family preserves long-standing home, even as it changes hands
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WHILE HER FAMILY DOESN’T OWN THE HOME ANYMORE, HELEN HUNTER KNIGHT WORKS TO ENSURE ITS HISTORY LIVES ON Home is where the heart is for Helen Hunter Knight. For about 80 years, her family created memories inside a home on 201 Second E. St. in downtown Picayune. Built in 1910, the Victorian-style house is believed to be the second oldest in the city still standing. Knight spent much of her childhood roaming the halls for years after her grandparents purchased the home from the original owner, Monroe David Tate, in 1928. Before her grandparents called the house home, it served different purposes, including a Baptist church parsonage, The Tate residence and a boarding house. “When my granddaddy, William David Cammack Sr., and grandmother, CWilla, known as Willie, bought it, they also used to rent rooms and had boarders in it,” Cammack said. Knight, originally from Houston, Texas, moved with her family to New Orleans due to her father’s job. It was their proximity to Picayune, where her grandparents lived, that would prompt the family to visit this area almost every weekend. “I pretty much grew up in that house. Absolutely loved it. It was a fantastic place, since the house was huge,” Knight said. Throughout her childhood, Knight would spend hours playing with her sister, Marion, and their childhood friends under the porch and inside the home’s large attic, which spanned the entire house. “From the attic, you could always hear someone talking downstairs,” Knight recalled. Following her grandparents’ passing, Knight’s mother, Jamie, inherited the home. When she died, Knight and her sister took possession of the real estate. Throughout the years, Mother Nature threatened to destroy the property, but the family was always determined to save it. At an estimated 1,800 square feet, the home originally featured a front octagonal room, which Knight loved, but when a tree fell on the bedroom during a bad storm in the 1980s, they decided against replacing the room and extended the porch across the entire front. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit Pearl River County and knocked a hole into the roof, damaging much of the antique furniture. Following the storm, she said the estate “was in bad shape.” Knight, who was a manager in the jewelry division at a local retailer, would spend time after work cleaning the interior. During this time, Knight and Marion put the property up for sale, looking for a buyer who would preserve its history. “I had people come by that wanted to tear it apart and
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build a parking lot. And people who wanted to make a wedding chapel out of it or a bed and breakfast or a rooming house,” Knight said. “I wanted someone to purchase the home and renovate it, but I knew I couldn’t hold their feet to the fire.” That’s when local business developer Bill Edwards came into the picture. Knight said she knew they found the right buyer when he showed interest in the property. Edwards purchased the home in 2009 and renovated it into what it is today. “When I had to have it appraised, the appraiser said the house is really marginal where you can recover it,” Edwards said. But with a lot of work and determination, Edwards and his team were able to renovate the home in a year’s time. During the restoration process, Edwards said he repaired
many areas, which included leveling the foundation, updating the kitchen and bathrooms and replacing the electrical wiring and pipes throughout the residence. The restoration process involved preserving most of the original flooring and one of the original fireplaces. Since then, Knight hasn’t worked up the courage to visit the renovated home. “I’ve had mixed feelings to see it changed. I want to remember the home the way I remembered it,” Knight said. While the Knight family doesn’t own the home anymore, Knight works to ensure its history lives on. As a member of the Pearl River County Historical Society, Knight preserves every document of her family and the home inside the archives building in Picayune in order to preserve her warm childhood memories of the home on Second Street.
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OUT & ABOUT
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By JESSE WRIGHT
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BLUES AND HERITAGE This fall, crowds poured out into Picayune’s downtown area for the annual Blues & Heritage Festival, put on by the Picayune Main Street Association. 1. From left, Ann Tipton and Tammy O’Rourke . 2. From left, Roy Wilson and Kathy Busco. 3. From left, Dakota and Wayne Barnes. 4. From left: Dashaun Acker, Maria Mitchell, Darriann Hall, Brian Mitchell, Marie Mitchell, Kiewon Magee.
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OUT & ABOUT 1
By JESSE WRIGHT
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PICAYUNE CHAMBER AWARDS BANQUET The Greater Picayune Area Chamber of Commerce held its annual awards banquet in October and recognized the outstanding men and women of the city, along with some civic groups. 1. From left, Dot Pigott and Dusty Dearman. 2. From left, Darlene Adams and Mayor Ed Pinero.
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3. From left, Beth Gonzales and Curtis Hart. 4. From left, Dawn Lambert, Suzan Wilson, Tina Stockstill. 5. From left, Will Lewis and Krislyn Branford. 6. From left, Van McGill and Tammy McGill.
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OUT & ABOUT
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By C A SSANDR A FAVRE
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BOOK SIGNING Retired federal agent and counterterrorism analyst Sandy Connor reviewed Peter Bergen’s book “Man Hunt: The 10-year search for Bin Laden from 9/11 to Abbottabad,” on Sept. 15 during the Friends of the Crosby Library Brown Bag Book Review in Holland Hall. 1. From left, Jean Read and Gloria Crassons. 2. From left, Beverly Creel and Linda Hanberry. 3. From left, Catherine Hardouin and Karen Nielsen. 4. From left, Larry Pickering, Sandy Connor and Jonathan Beech.
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OUT & ABOUT 1
By A SHLE Y COLLINS
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BLUES AND HERITAGE CAR SHOW One of the attractions at the Blues and Heritage Festival is the classic cars on display owned by members of the Boulevard Cruisers. 1. From left, Melinda Spiers, J.R. Davis and Rosalind Dorr. 4
2. From back left, Ken Bennett and Jeanatte Bennett. 3. From left, Joni Berg, Donna Porter and Thomas Porter. 4. From left, Anna Guidera and George Guidera. 5. From back left, Debbie Songy and Jerry Songy.
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OUT & ABOUT
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By C A SSANDR A FAVRE
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PUTTIN’ ON THE PINK On Sept. 26, Puttin on the Pink hosted their fifth annual gala, a breast cancer awareness event held at the Barn at Sarah Bella. 1. From left, Ann Hunt, Rosie Barrett and Joan Martin. 2. From left, Henrietta Brewer and Pat Burge. 3. From left, Laurie and John Huck. 4. From left, Philip Smith, Cornel Jeansonne, Alyssa Eilers and Zach Allen.
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WHY I LOVE PICAYUNE By EDDIE SMITH
Why I Love PICAYUNE
AS A LIFELONG RESIDENT OF PICAYUNE, I can
think of many reasons why I love the city. Picayune has gone through many changes over the years, and it has been a great opportunity to witness those changes. I can remember when everyone knew everyone in Picayune. Back when I was a child, there were fewer businesses in Picayune. It has been nice to see growth in the business sector, which provides residents with more opportunities. One of the places my mother, sister and I would go frequently was the Mississippi Mall. Inside the Mississippi Mall there was a very nice movie theater, where I saw my first movie, “E.T.” Today we have a newly renovated movie theater where I can watch movies with my children. Being a clean place to live is another reason why I love my hometown. The city’s employees do a great job keeping our community clean. The well-maintained green spaces and landscaped flowerbeds make Picayune a great place to visit, live, and conduct business. I’d be willing to bet you feel the
Picayune area is a safe place to live. This is because the Picayune Police Department, the Pearl River County Sheriff ’s Department, the Picayune Fire Department, and the surrounding volunteer fire departments do a great job of protecting Picayune. Compared to surrounding areas, Picayune has a low crime rate. Because of that fact, I always feel safe when I am traveling around the area. Outside the city limits, many changes have occurred over the years. Back when I was a child, there were six dairy farms in the Picayune area. Now, many dairy farms in the area have closed. There were also other farms growing row crops (corn, soybeans and cotton). We now have mainly beef farms or timberland with a large portion of the surrounding farmland being converted to subdivisions for the growing population of the area. The growth in the area tells me we are doing something right and more people want to come here to live, work and play. Obviously, others are falling in love with Picayune and are deciding to make the city their home, too.
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