Bluffs & Bayous October 2018

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F RO M T H E P U B L I S H E R

October Events, Eats, and Treats

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ature’s playful days in October entice the child in all of us to embrace the harvest time of year. With fesWLYDOV FRRN RIIV Ă HD PDUNHWV . UXQV DQG walks, Halloween Trunk or Treat events, long-awaited Trick-or-Treating, and those festivals that celebrate this time of year, our area could not be busier. While working on Bluffs & Bayous’ Up & Coming segment for October, I was tempted, as I opened my personal calendar, to mark “attendâ€? for every event. Also, specialty “marketsâ€? and open houses for pre-Christmas shopping are happening in almost every section of our readership area. Our feature this month is a Pop-up October Dinner conceived last fall by friends Austin Sumrall, Chef of White Pillars restaurant in Biloxi, Mississippi, and Stephen Porter, Manager of Williamson Nursery. The nursery’s unique, local venue along with background music and the area’s scrumptious foods and beverages merged into a magical evening under the

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autumn stars in Summit, Mississippi. As a result of its success a year ago and the popularity that has surrounded it since then, Sumrall and Porter will host their second culinary feast October 21, and we cannot wait to see how this one evolves. .HUU\ 'LFNV EULQJV XV 3DUW ,, RI KHU KLVtory-ridden trek to uncover local stories of bootlegging, past and present, along the Mississippi. Her adventures take her up the Mississippi River from New Orleans to Natchez and intriguing points north as she follows the river road on both sides of its constant and often furtive currents. Jennifer Whittier shares her battle with breast cancer in support of October’s Cancer Awareness month. A moving and candid revelation, her story offers hope and strength as she conquered this ravenous predator. We salute Jennifer’s valor and determination both in surviving her battle and thriving beyond the throes of cancer, and in using her struggle to encourage others.

Celebrating the popularity of autumn’s favorite fruit—pumpkins!—G’s Fare with its multiple pumpkin recipes this month will have you scurrying to pick out the freshest, plumpest pumpkins (canned if you must) and stock up on your cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Oh, and if you have not already decorated your home for fall, *¡V )DUH ZLOO HQWLFH \RX WR Ă€OO \RXU NLWFKen, and every other room for that matter, ZLWK EDVNHWV DQG SRWWHU\ DĂ RXULVK ZLWK Ă Rrals, feathers, fruits, veggies, vines, berries, leaves, and other greenery of the season. This is a wrap as we celebrate October’s life along and beyond the Mississippi.

OCTOBER 2018

F E AT U R E S My Story of Survival pages 22 - 24

Discoveries Along and Beyond—Festive Pop-up Dinner Venue Showcases Mississippi Artisans’ Autumn Array pages 32 - 37

Against Current: On River Bootleggers, Bayou Moonshiners, and the Perseverance of Prohibition in Mississippi Part II pages 48 - 53

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OCTOBER 2018

F AV O R I T E S G’s Fare Have a Yummy Pumpkin Fall.........................................................................................10-15

Legal Notes Texas Tea II — Mineral Owner’s Rights.............................................................................. 18

Southern Sampler Autumn Up-country Caper ............................................................................................ 72-73

The Social Scene Spring General Assembly for First Families of Mississippi ...........................................16-17

Have a Yummy Pumpkin Fall pages 10 - 15

2nd Annual Bingo and Bubbly Fundraiser ....................................................................... 19 Masons Celebrate 200th Anniversary ................................................................................ 21 Chamber After Hours at Merit Hospital............................................................................ 26 CeCe McKinney’s DU Print Auctioned .............................................................................. 27 Nix Family Reunion and 95th Birthday Celebration ........................................................ 28 MSU Send-off Party ............................................................................................................ 30 Baby Shower for Mary Lane Lala ...................................................................................... 38 Reception for Co-Lin President.......................................................................................... 39 Betty’s Eat Shop’s 2nd Anniversary .............................................................................. 42-43 Blackwell’s Campaign Kick-off Reception .................................................................... 44-46

The Wedding Scene Bridal Shower for Jasmine Wolfe ....................................................................................... 20 Engagement Party for Taylor and Gamberi.................................................................. 40-41

Up & Coming

Against Current: On River Bootleggers, Bayou Moonshiners, and the Perseverance of Prohibition in Mississippi pages 32 - 37

Louisiana Up & Coming ................................................................................................ 56-61 Mississippi Up & Coming ............................................................................................... 63-70

ON THE COVER Blending art, culture, and food in Summit, Mississippi, the festive Pop-up Dinner, designed and orchestrated by progressive thinkers Steven Porter and Austin Sumrall, creates a refreshing elegance for dining under the stars. See Discoveries Along and Beyond, pages 32 through 37. Photograph by Elizabeth Tate, Sunkissed Photography

Autumn Up-country Caper page 72 - 73 Bluffs & Bayous { October 2018 { Page 7

PUBLISHER Cheryl Foggo Rinehart COPY EDITOR Jean Nosser Biglane GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Jan Ratcliff

Anita Schilling

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Tim McCary

Bill Perkins

Cheryl Rinehart

Lisa Adams Whittington SALES STAFF

Cheryl Rinehart

Donna Sessions

CONTRIBUTORS Kerry Rose Dicks

Lucien C. “Sam� Gwin III

Becky Junkin

Jennifer J. Whittier Alma Womack

Kerry Rose Dicks

Cheryl Rinehart

Jean Biglane

Donna Sessions

Jan Ratcliff

Anita Schilling

Tim McCary

Lucien C. “Sam� Gwin III

Becky Junkin

Jennifer J. Whittier

Bill Perkins

Alma Womack

Lisa Adams Whittington

Bluffs & Bayous is published monthly to promote the greater Southern area of Louisiana and Mississippi in an informative and positive manner. We welcome contributions of articles and photos; however, they will be subject to editing and availability of space and subject matter. Photographs, comments, questions, subscription requests and ad placement inquiries are invited! Return envelopes and postage must accompany all materials submitted if a return is requested. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher. The opinions expressed in Bluffs & Bayous are those of the authors or columnists and do QRW QHFHVVDULO\ UHà HFW WKH YLHZV RI WKH SXEOLVKHU QRU GR WKH\ FRQVWLWXWH DQ HQGRUVHPHQW RI SURGXFWV RU VHUYLFHV KHUHLQ :H UHVHUYH WKH ULJKW WR UHIXVH DQ\ DGYHUWLVHment. Bluffs & Bayous strives to insure the accuracy of our magazine’s contents. However, should inaccuracies or omissions occur, we do not assume responsibility.

OFFICE 225 John R. Junkin Drive | Natchez, MS 39120 | 601-442-6847 bluf fsmag@gmail.com | bbupandcoming@gmail.com www.bluf fsbayous.com

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G’S FARE

BY

Becky Junkin

PHOTOGRAPHY BY Becky

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Junkin

Have a Yummy Pumpkin Fall W hen I was a little girl, on WKH Ă€UVW FRRO IDOO PRUQLQJ my Dad would quote from James Whitcomb Riley: “When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder’s in the shock, ‌ O, it sets my hart aclickin’ like the tickin’ of a clock.â€? 2FWREHU LV Ă€QDOO\ KHUH DQG ´LW VHWV my hart-a-clickinâ€? just as Riley wrote. It is my favorite month of the year. Not only that but I love the entire season of fall. I like the other seasons but I love FALL. I love the crunch you hear when walking in the woods during the fall. I love the smell of smoke coming from the chimneys in the neighborhood or EHWWHU \HW IURP P\ RZQ Ă€UHSODFH , love preparing and sharing the foods

of fall, especially pumpkin; cheering on of our favorite teams at football games; gathering for the holiday events of Halloween; and anticipating the festivities of Thanksgiving. It’s not too hot and it’s not too cold; it is just right! What is not to like about fall and October??? I once again have gathered some new and some old favorite recipes using pumpkin. You would think that, as crazy as I am about pumpkin, my children would be worn out with pumpkin. Fortunately, they all love pumpkin as much as I do; and we are constantly sharing its recipes. I hope that you will enjoy some of these recipes as much as we do. So, happy fall, y’all.

Because this recipe is a favorite with us and my readers, it is returning for an encore appearance. It is so easy to make and tastes so good. I found this several years ago on Facebook and have been making it every fall since.

PUMPKIN CAKE 1 (18.25 ounces) package spice cake mix or yellow cake, or pumpkin 1 (15 ounces) can pumpkin 1 can condensed milk 1 (8 ounces) carton of Cool Whip Caramel sauce, optional topping .YH[LK [VɈLL /LH[O IHYZ VW[PVUHS [VWWPUN Mix the cake mix and canned pumpkin un[PS ^LSS ISLUKLK +V UV[ HKK HU`[OPUN I\[ JHRL mix and pumpkin). The directions call for pourPUN PU[V H NLULYV\ZS` NYLHZLK _ IHRPUN WHU" I use a 9x9 since we like a thicker cake. If you \ZL H _ IHRL MVY TPU\[LZ" PM `V\ \ZL [OL _ JHRL WHU `V\ ULLK [V JOLJR P[ H[ HIV\[ TPU\[LZ KLWLUKPUN VU OV^ X\PJRS` `V\Y V]LU IHRLZ 0[ PZ KVUL ^OLU `V\ [LZ[ [OL JLU[LY with a toothpick for doneness. 3L[ [OL JHRL JVVS MVY HIV\[ TPU\[LZ <ZPUN [OL IV[[VT VM H ^VVKLU ZWVVU WVRL OVSLZ in the top of the cake. Pour the condensed milk over the cake, letting it sink down into the holes. I refrigerate it overnight so that the cake HIZVYIZ HSS VM [OL TPSR @V\ JV\SK Q\Z[ YLMYPNLYH[L P[ MVY HIV\[ TPU\[LZ -YVZ[ [OL YLMYPNLYH[LK JHRL ^P[O [OL *VVS >OPW @V\ JHU KYPaaSL caramel sauce over the cake and sprinkle with [OL NYH[LK [VɈLL IHYZ PM `V\ SPRL 9LMYPNLYH[L HUK [OLU LUQV`

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This is an old recipe that I have been using for parties for years. I am not sure where it came from or who gave it to me, but it is an old standby.

PUMPKIN DIP 3 (8 ounces) cream cheese IV_ WV^KLYLK Z\NHY ZPM[LK 1 can pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie) Cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla to taste Ginger snaps or cinnamon graham crackers Mix together (I use my mixer.) and serve in your prettiest fall dish. I serve this with NPUNLY ZUHWZ I\[ `V\ JV\SK HSZV \ZL *PUnamon Graham Crackers.

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This recipe from Parker’s Blue Ribbon Recipes is similar to several Four-layer Dessert recipes. Although it takes a little more time, it is perfect for fall.

PUMPKIN PIE SQUARES J\W HSS W\YWVZL ÅV\Y ñ J\W X\PJR JVVRPUN VH[Z \UJVVRLK ñ J\W ÄYTS` WHJRLK IYV^U Z\NHY ñ J\W I\[[LY 2 cups pumpkin (canned or fresh) ¾ cup sugar 1 (12 ounces) can evaporated milk 2 eggs 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon ground ginger ¼ teaspoon ground cloves ñ J\W ÄYTS` WHJRLK IYV^U Z\NHY [HISLZWVVUZ I\[[LY ½ cup chopped pecans Whipped cream or Cool Whip *VTIPUL ÅV\Y VH[Z HUK ñ J\W IYV^U Z\NHY PU H TLKP\T IV^S *\[ PU [OL ñ J\W I\[[LY ^P[O H WHZ[Y` ISLUKLY \U[PS [OL TP_[\YL YLZLTISLZ JVHYZL TLHS 7YLZZ TP_[\YL L]LUS` PU[V H _ WHU )HRL H[ KLNYLLZ MVY TPU\[LZ *VTIPUL W\TWRPU HUK UL_[ PUNYLKPLU[Z Z[PYYPUN ^LSS 7V\Y V]LY IHRLK JY\Z[ )HRL H[ KLNYLLZ MVY TPU\[LZ 7SHJL ñ J\W IYV^U Z\NHY PU H ZTHSS IV^S HUK J\[ PU [HISLZWVVUZ I\[[LY ^P[O H WHZ[Y` ISLUKLY \U[PS TP_[\YL YLZLTISLZ JVHYZL TLHS :[PY PU WLJHUZ :WYPURSL V]LY W\TWRPU TP_[\YL )HRL HU HKKP[PVUHS TPU\[LZ VY \U[PS ZL[ *VVS HUK J\[ PU[V ZX\HYLZ :LY]L ^P[O H ZWVVUM\S VM ^OPWWLK JYLHT VY *VVS >OPW

For those cool fall mornings, healthy pumpkin pancakes, topped with nothing but pure maple syrup, are perfect. My daughter Blythe makes these for her children on Sunday mornings in the fall. When she lived in Pennsylvania, getting fresh maple syrup was so easy, but ZKDW ZH FDQ ÀQG KHUH LV ÀQH 7KLV recipe came from eatingwell.com.

PUMPKIN PANCAKES ñ J\WZ ^OP[L ^OVSL ^OLH[ Ã…V\Y [LHZWVVUZ IHRPUN WV^KLY ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice ë [LHZWVVU IHRPUN ZVKH ¼ teaspoon salt 1 large egg ñ J\WZ I\[[LYTPSR 1 cup pumpkin puree ¼ cup toasted pecans [HISLZWVVUZ JHUVSH VPS [HISLZWVVU Z\NHY 1 teaspoon vanilla extract >OPZR Ã…V\Y IHRPUN WV^KLY W\TWRPU WPL ZWPJL IHRPUN ZVKH HUK ZHS[ PU H SHYNL IV^S >OPZR LNN I\[[LYTPSR W\TWRPU W\YLL WLJHUZ oil, sugar, and vanilla in a medium IV^S 4HRL H ^LSS PU [OL JLU[LY VM the dry ingredients, add the wet inNYLKPLU[Z HUK ^OPZR Q\Z[ \U[PS JVTIPULK 9LZPZ[ V]LYTP_PUN·P[ ^PSS make the pancakes tough. 3L[ [OL IH[[LY ZP[ ^P[OV\[ Z[PYYPUN TPU\[LZ (Z [OL IH[[LY YLZ[Z [OL IHRPUN WV^KLY MVYTZ I\IISLZ [OH[ JYLH[L Ã…\Ɉ` WHUJHRLZ" HUK [OL NS\[LU PU [OL Ã…V\Y YLSH_LZ [V THRL them tender. Coat a large, nonstick skillet or NYPKKSL ^P[O JVVRPUN ZWYH`" OLH[ over medium heat. Without stirring [OL IH[[LY TLHZ\YL V\[ WHUJHRLZ \ZPUN HIV\[ ë J\W IH[[LY WLY WHUcake, and pour into the skillet. Cook until the edges are dry and you see I\IISLZ VU [OL Z\YMHJL HIV\[ TPU\[LZ -SPW HUK JVVR \U[PS NVSKLU IYV^U VU [OL V[OLY ZPKL HIV\[ TPU\[LZ TVYL 9LWLH[ ^P[O [OL YLTHPUPUN IH[[LY JVH[PUN [OL WHU ^P[O cooking spray and reducing the heat as needed.

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A friend of my daughter Lari makes this at school for the teachers during the fall. It is so quick and easy and tastes so good. I found the recipe at instructables.com.

QUICK-AND-EASY CROCKPOT PUMPKIN LATTE ½ can pumpkin puree 1 can sweetened condensed milk 2 cinnamon sticks or ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon WV[Z JVɈLL J\WZ LHJO 7V\Y [OL [^V WV[Z VM IYL^LK JVɈLL PU[V H *YVJRWV[ ;\YU WV[ VU SV^ 0U H ISLUKLY VY \ZL HU PTTLYZPVU ISLUKLY TP_ [VNL[OLY [OL ñ JHU VM W\TWRPU W\YLL HUK [OL JVUKLUZLK TPSR )SLUK ^LSS HUK WV\Y PU[V [OL *YVJR 7V[ Z[PYYPUN ^LSS PU[V [OL JVɈLL 7SHJL JPUUHTVU Z[PJRZ PU [OL W\TWRPU JVɈLL 0M `V\»K YH[OLY \ZL NYV\UK JPUUHTVU W\[ PU ñ [LHZWVVU *V]LY ^P[O [OL SPK HUK OLH[ MVY TPU\[LZ ;OPZ THRLZ J\WZ VM JVɈLL

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My daughter Jordan makes these for breakfast, but her children call them Halloween 0XIÀQV EHFDXVH WKH WUHDWV ORRN RUDQJH DQG black to them. They love when fall comes around, and she brings out the pumpkin recipes. This one came from sallysbakingaddiction.com.

WHOLE-WHEAT MINI PUMPKIN MUFFINS ê J\WZ ^OVSL ^OLH[ Ã…V\Y [LHZWVVU IHRPUN WV^KLY [LHZWVVU IHRPUN ZVKH ½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 2 large eggs at room temperature ñ J\W SPNO[S` WHJRLK IYV^U Z\NHY 1 cup pumpkin puree ñ J\W \UZHS[LK I\[[LY TLS[LK HUK ZSPNO[S` cooled 1 teaspoon vanilla J\W TPSR 0[ JHU IL HSTVUK VY JHZOL^ or any milk.) 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips 7YLOLH[ V]LU [V KLNYLLZ .YLHZL VY ZWYH` [^V TPUP T\ɉU WHUZ ^P[O UVUZ[PJR cooking spray. This recipe only makes HYV\UK T\ɉUZ ZV `V\ ^PSS VUS` \ZL OHSM of the second pan. 0U H SHYNL IV^S ^OPZR [OL Ã…V\Y IHRing soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin WPL ZWPJL [VNL[OLY :L[ HZPKL 0U H TLKP\T IV^S ^OPZR [OL LNNZ IYV^U Z\NHY W\TWRPU W\YLL TLS[LK I\[[LY ]HUPSSH HUK TPSR [VNL[OLY \U[PS JVTIPULK 7V\Y [OL ^L[ PUgredients into the dry ingredients, stir a few times, and then add the mini chocolate JOPWZ -VSK L]LY`[OPUN [VNL[OLY NLU[S` Q\Z[ \U[PS JVTIPULK -PSS T\ɉU J\WZ HYV\UK ê M\SS HIV\[ OLHWPUN [HISLZWVVU VM IH[[LY WLY T\ɉU Bake for 12-14 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 9LTV]L WHUZ MYVT [OL V]LU (SSV^ T\ɉUZ [V JVVS ZSPNO[S` ILMVYL LUQV`PUN

Becky Junkin, mother of four and grandmother of eight, is a lifelong Natchez resident, a retired elemenWDU\ WHDFKHU RI WZHQW\ IRXU \HDUV DQG FHUWLÀHG 3LODWHV instructor.

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THE social SCENE NATCHEZ, MISSISSIPPI

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Spring General Assembly for First Families of Mississippi he Order of the First Families of Mississippi held its annual Spring General Assembly in Natchez, Mississippi, on June 8-9, 2018. On Friday evening, members who arrived early enjoyed a social gathering and dinner at The Castle. On Saturday morning, a Welcome Party was held at antebellum Hawthorne, home of Mrs. Bettye Jenkins and family. Thereafter, lunch was served at The Carriage House with a program presented by archaeologist Samuel O. Brookes III of Jackson, Mississippi. Also during the luncheon, the Award of Meritorious Leadership in Mississippi History and Genealogy was presented to Murella Powell of Biloxi, Mississippi. Attending this Spring General Assembly were 125 members and guests.

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1 Vickie Netterville and Tim Rutland 2 Rachael Dear Benoist, William Benoist, Ted Dear, Jenna Dear, and Zachary Dear 3 Murella Powell and Bernadette O’Grady 4 Sylvia Campbell, Jan Meloncon, Jena Meloncon, Simon Vlahovic, and Betty Ann Perkins 5 Clinton Bagley and Janet Schriver 6 Jane Bashford Tatum, Dr. Sebastian Koga, Ann Atkinson Simmons, and Vaughan Simmons Koga 7 Ann and Vernon LaCour 8 Governor General Mark Henry, Dan Johnson, John Taylor, and Clinton Bagley 9 Joyce Shorter and Vickie Netterville 10 Clinton Bagley, Holmes Sturgeon, Jeretta Sturgeon, and Rusty Jenkins 11 Zachary Dear, Brayden Dear, and Ted Dear 12 Jeri Wallace, Zachary Dear, Brayden Dear, Jenna Dear, Teresa Dyer Dear, Rachael Dear Benoist, William Benoist, and Ted Dear

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THE social SCENE

NATCHEZ, MISSISSIPPI

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13 Elizabeth Weeks, Gayle Spinnato, and Bette Poole 14 Dr. Sebastian Koga, Bill Simmons, and Rusty Jenkins 15 Ann Taylor, Betty Shows, and Christine Eaton 16 Zachary Dear, Jenna Dear, Rachael Dear Benoist, and William Benoist

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LEGAL NOTES

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Texas Tea II—Mineral Owner’s Rights

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y last article on oil and gas development in Mississippi was about the rights of the oil industry in using property owners’ lands in order to drill for oil. In this article, I will discuss the mineral owner’s estate. A mineral owner is one who owns some percentage of the mineral rights under the surface. There are thousands of mineral owners in the State of Mississippi. To help you better understand, let’s assume that you are the 100% owner of minerals under a 1000-acre tract of land and an oil producer wishes to lease that land from you for oil production. First, the smallest number of acres to be drilled upon and allowed by the Mississippi State Oil & Gas Board is 40 acres. This almost always is for shallow oil wells in the range of 4,000 to 6,000 feet, Since you own 100% of the minerals under 1000 acres of land (lucky you!), you are in full control over the number of acres you wish to lease for oil production. You are also in full control of the price you receive for each barrel of oil produced. Your oil ownership is called “royalty.� If an oil producer approaches you to lease your minerals for the purposes of drilling a well, you could, on today’s market, receive

anywhere from 3/16 to 1/4 of all oil produced from your property, depending on the market. In the event that you are not a 100% owner of the minerals under said lands, but RQO\ D RZQHU RI WKH PLQHUDOV XQGHU that 1000-acre tract of land, what do you do if you are approached by a producer? Under Mississippi Law, if a mineral estate is fractured, an oil producer can force your mineral interest into a drilling pool as long as the producer can secure the agreement of 33% of the total mineral interests in a particular mineral estate. In other words, LI \RX RZQ RI WKH PLQHUDO LQWHUHVW DQG \RXU EURWKHU RZQV RI WKH PLQHUDO LQWHUHVW ZLWK WKH UHPDLQLQJ PLQHUDO LQterests owned by your long-lost cousins who sign the oil lease, but you and your brother refuse to sign said lease, then the oil producer can petition the Mississippi Oil & Gas Board to try to force your mineral interests into the pool. In order to do this, the oil producer has to offer you a “reasonable price� for your mineral interest, but that does not necessarily mean he has to offer you the same amount he paid your cousins for their interests. In the event that your and your brother’s mineral interests are forced into a drilling

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Lucien C. Gwin III

pool, I suppose you will want to know if you ever will be compensated for your oil (if the well hits). The truthful answer to this is maybe. The way this works is your cousins, ZKR VLJQHG WKH OHDVH DQG ZKR KDYH of the mineral interests, get “royaltyâ€? payments the day that the oil starts being produced. Since you and your brother didn’t sign the lease (However, you have 20 days to sign the lease after the Oil & Gas Board approves the drilling permit.), then WKH SURGXFHU LV DOORZHG WR Ă€UVW UHFRXS KLV H[SHQVHV WLPHV ,Q RWKHU ZRUGV if it costs the producer $1,000,000.00 in expenses, he can collect certain expensHV EDFNÂłWR WKH WXQH RI which partly comes straight from your “royalty,â€? meaning that you get nothing until the producer has been paid back WLPHV WKH DPRXQW RI WKH H[SHQGLWXUHV OUCH! So, when DO you get paid!? If the well stays commercial and pays out the sums for expenses, then, yes, you will get paid. However, if after a year or two the well starts to dry up, you are out of luck! All you can do at this point is be happy for your long-lost cousins, who did get paid. There is so much more to this than my article can address. The above hypothetical is called “forced integration,â€? and it can work a real hardship on mineral owners in Mississippi if they are not savvy! When it comes to mineral ownership, people often ask why we have such an onerous law concerning minerals; and the answer is that the Mississippi Legislature, years ago, wanted Mississippi’s minerals developed so that the state could tax the developed oil and gas. This law forces development and helps form the tax basis for our state. One might also ask if this taxing procedure is good or bad. I suppose that depends on whose ox is being gored. MY THOUGHTS: Any time you own minerals and an oil man shows up at your door with a lease, run, don’t walk, to an attorney who has oil-and-gas expertise and experience. Lucien C. “Samâ€? Gwin III was admitted to the Mississippi Bar in 1981 and has been practicing many aspects of the law at the firm of Gwin, Punches & Kelley in Natchez, Mississippi, ever since.

THE social SCENE MCCOMB, MISSISSIPPI

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2nd Annual Bingo and Bubbly Fundraiser he Southwest Mississippi Children’s Advocacy Center in McComb, Mississippi, held its 2nd Annual Bingo and Bubbly event at Fernwood Country Club in Fernwood, Mississippi, on Saturday August, 4, 2018. Attending were 144 ladies along with the CAC staff and numerous volunteers who planned and orchestrated the successful fundraiser. Throughout the event, the ladies enjoyed brunch, Bingo, silent and live auctions, and drawings for a number of door prizes. The SWMS CAC opened its doors in 1999, and each year has reached out to more hurting children due to the growing community support. Its professionals have extensive, on-going training and provide quality forensic interview services, mental health services, medical service referrals, and family and victim advocate services. Staff members utilize a multidisciplinary team approach to collaborate with Child Protective Services, law enforcement, and the District Attorney’s office to better service children who are victims of abuse. The CAC’s mission is to streamline and expedite the investigative process, provide therapy to reduce further trauma, and promote healing. To date, the SWMS CAC has seen approximately 4,800 children for evaluations and assessments. In 2017, more than 450 children received completed evaluations, victim advocacy, and therapy at the center. Bingo and Bubbly Sponsors: First Bank, Ron and Nancy Craddock, Lott Furniture, Market Max/Pigott Oil, SW Distributors, Pike National Bank, Clifton and Barrie Van Cleave, Magnolia Electric Power, Rainbow Chrysler Doge Jeep Ram, Gigantic Bag, Keith and Karen Sanders, Kings Daughters Medical Center, McComb Children’s Clinic, PASCO Holdings, Coca Cola, Hartman-Jones Funeral Home, Graphics Etc., and St. Luke Home Health. If you are interested in being a sponsor, volunteering, or donating, please contact SWMS Children’s Advocacy Center at 601-684-4009.

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1 Flower arrangement by Alford’s Flowers and welcome banner by Graphics Etc. 2 Front—Brandy Harrington, Alicia Linton, Trisha Artigues, Anne Houston Craig, Brooklyn Schmidt, Erin Culpepper, Jade Douglas, Kim Walley, and Amy Halstead; back—Donna Lukacs and Tabitha Cooper Henderson 3 Carly Ball Thomas, Debbie Ball, Pam Hopkins, Kay Hughes, Dottie Case, and Patricia Fleming 4 Blake Dunaway, Andy Spinnato, Chris Bell, Rob and Dee Bates, John Grafton, Rick Pennick, David Brewer, Matthew Artigues, and Johnny Scott

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THE wedding SCENE VICKSBURG, MISSISSIPPI

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Bridal Shower for Jasmine Wolfe asmine Wolfe was showered with gifts at the home of Susan Fitzgerald in Vicksburg, Mississippi, on August 12, 2018. Hostesses were her mother’s friends from First Baptist Church: Susan Fitzgerald, Debbie Freeman, Peggy Harper, Beckie Kerut, Kay Lee, Susan McKinnie, Rita Mendrop, Amy Robinson, Georganne Swillie, and Janell Thames. Guests were treated to the acclaimed Vicksburg tomato sandwiches, pimento cheese sandwiches, petit fours, and punch for the Sunday afternoon event. Joe Fleece, formerly of St. Petersburg, Florida, and now of Atlanta, Georgia, had the pleasure of meeting many women who played a part in his fiancée’s younger years. The couple’s wedding is planned for October in Atlanta.

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5 1 Ronda Wolfe, Joe Fleece, Jasmine Wolfe, and Betty Wolfe 2 Dolores Rohrer, Susan Stewart, Ronda Wolfe, and Donna Saunders 3 Betty Wolfe and Marilyn Daggett 4 Becky Jolly and Karen Godfrey 5 Cheryl Roberts and Debbie Freeman 6 Kay Lee and Susan Fitzgerald 7 Amy Robinson, Peggy Harper, Georganne Swillie, Ronda Wolfe, Jasmine Wolfe, Joe Fleece, Beckie Kerut, Janell Thames, Susan Fitzgerald, Debbie Freeman, and Rita Mendrop 8 Lisa Ingram, Shellie Matthews, and Kay Lee 9 Gail Rhett, Janet Holland, and Beckie Kerut 10 Rita Mendrop, Susan Fitzgerald, and Janell Thames 11 Amy Robinson, Georganne Swillie, and Peggy Harper

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THE social SCENE NATCHEZ, MISSISSIPPI

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Masons Celebrate 200th Anniversary he founding of the Grand Lodge of Mississippi in Natchez occurred on July 27, 1818. Recently, the local chapter of Masons, with Tyler Blalock as Master of Harmony Lodge No. 1, held a bicentennial weekend of activities. The celebratory banquet held at the Natchez Convention Center featured a reenactment of the historic founding and included the unveiling of a time capsule buried 100 years ago. Later that evening, a fireworks display showered the Mississippi River for the public to enjoy.

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1 Grand Marshall Thomas Cumberland and Lynda Cumberland 2 Dickie and Phyllis McKinney 3 Geary and Terri Laird 4 Martin and Janet Reinschmidt 5 Mary and Justice Jim Kitchens 6 Tyler Blalock and Andrea Arnold 7 Paula Blalock with Tim and Liz Blalock 8 Lanรก Palmer and Keith Kennedy 9 Trent Lott 10 Judy Stahlman and Sue Stedman 11 Cappy Stahlman and Joe Stedman 12 Chip Sturdivant and Rick Wyatts

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Bluffs & Bayous { October 2018 { Page 21

My Story of Survival by Jennifer Jackson Whittier Page 22 { October 2018 { Bluffs & Bayous

My scars are a constant reminder that I am strong, I am a warrior, I am a survivor, and what used to make me tremble with fear is now my source of courage. ver the past few years, I have written stories about the struggles, accomplishments, talents, and exploits of others. Some of those stories have challenged me as I attempted to capture just the right sentiment or depth. None, however, have stirred the emotion within me as this story because it is my story. It deals with my FRQĂ LFWV my pain. For over twenty years, I have hesitated to share, or sometimes even to allow myself to think about, my battles with cancer. The details brought back too many painful memories of times in my life when I doubted my faith, my strength, and my purpose; however, recently, I have undergone a kind of transformation, a metamorphosis, from an unwillingness to discuss my experiencHV WR D GHVLUH WR KHOS RWKHUV EHQHĂ€W IURP them. Hopefully, my story will in some small way encourage or inspire someone who faces or has faced similar challenges. In late October of 1998, my mother and I took a trip to the Smoky Mountains; it gave us an opportunity to relax and enjoy the beautiful fall colors, as well as each other’s company. During that trip, I found a lump in my left breast‌not a large lump‌ but certainly something that caught my attention. I didn’t mention it to anyone; but several days later, I called my doctor and made an appointment. I had always been healthy, and there was certainly no need to panic over this small abnormality. A sonogram was done, and the results showed nothing out of the ordinary. By December, the lump had doubled in size. I convinced myself that there was no need for worry, and I focused on the upcoming holidays. On my birthday in early January, I decided to treat myself to a “mental healthâ€? day, so I stayed home from school to relax. After weeks of avoiding further examination of my breast, I noticed what appeared to be a dimple in the affected area. Slowly, my hand shaking, I touched what was now a lump the size of an egg. Panic and fear swept over me; and in desperation, my husband and I fumbled WKURXJK WKH <HOORZ 3DJHV WR Ă€QG D VXUJHRQ

any surgeon, who could see me immediately. After an hour’s drive that seemed endless, we walked into the overcrowded ofÀFH RI WKH VXUJHRQ ZKR XOWLPDWHO\ ZRXOG save my life. This solemn, gray-haired physician examined me; and after only a moment or two, he softly asked me when I would be available for a biopsy. I knew from the look in his eyes that things were far worse than I had imagined. My heart sank. I realized that in one split second my life was in the balance. A surgical biopsy was scheduled for the following morning. Suddenly, so many plans had to be made; schedules had to be changed; ordinary responsibilities became insurmountable. My concerns centered on my two daughters, my husband, and my family. There was no time to consciously absorb the whirlwind that had engulfed me. My thoughts became a blur, but the spontaneity of the past twenty-four hours may have been a blessing: I had no time for worry, no time for fear. A sleepless night preceded a predawn trip to the hospital. A typical morning at the busy hospital was anything but typical for me. Nurses buzzed around me, preparing me for the biopsy. All were focused on their duties, and I was focused on my destiny. Soon, I would be wheeled into the operating room for a determination that would affect the rest of my life. Time has a way of tricking one’s mind during such procedures; and when I awoke, I was unaware of how many hours had passed. Sitting by my bedside was my surgeon, quiet, pensive. He held my hand and told me that the tumor was malignant and that we had some decisions to make. The sedation was controlling both my pain and my emotions, and I remember very little of any conversations with either my husband or my doctor. I was aware, however, of the fact that a mastectomy was my best chance at survival; and another and more extensive surgery was performed the following morning.

7KH QH[W IHZ GD\V ZHUH GLIÀFXOW DQG painful. Drainage tubes were attached to my chest, and a mound of gauze and tape covered the area where my breast had been. Details from pathology reports emerged; lymph nodes had been removed, along with a tumor comparable to the size of a lemon. Recovery would be ORQJ DQG GLIÀFXOW DQG P\ FKHPLFDO WKHUapy would consist of taking Tamoxifen, a drug widely used after surgery for patients with hormone-receptor-positive EUHDVW FDQFHU IRU WKH QH[W ÀYH \HDUV WR reduce the risk of recurrence. To say the least, I was relieved that chemo and radiation were not necessary because the inevitable loss of my hair, however vain that may have been on my part, had been one of my worst fears. After all, hadn’t I lost enough already? My emotions ran the gamut; I was angry; I was frustrated; and I was depressed and sad over the short straw I had drawn in life. Nothing could have prepared me, however, for what came next. I had not seen the incision. Instead, I chose to look away when the nurses changed my bandages. Maybe, I thought, if I did not look at my wound, I could pretend that it never existed. Finally, my curiosity overcame my fear; and I removed the bandages to see for myself the extent of the VXUJHU\ $W ÀUVW , WRRN D TXLFN JODQFH WKH stitches were dark and extensive; the incision was deep; and I looked away immediDWHO\ P\ IDFH à XVKLQJ ZLWK HPRWLRQ I looked again, but this time I stared at the scars stretching from under my arm to the middle of my chest. I felt weak and vulQHUDEOH DQG WKH WHDUV EHJDQ WR à RZ 7KH\ seemed to emit from the very pit of my soul‌tears of anguish, unlike any tears I had ever shed before. The emotional release was cathartic; the purge was vital to my physical and emotional recovery; and subsequently, each time I looked into the mirror, I became stronger and more determined not to lose myself in my adversity. As the days and weeks passed, my scars healed; and eventually, so did my spirit.

Bluffs & Bayous { October 2018 { Page 23

My determination to return to life before cancer grew stronger, and my will to conTXHU WKLV GLVHDVH DQG ÀQG myself again became my ultimate goal. However, I could not reach this goal alone. Only by the grace of God and the love and support of my family and friends could success be possible. I ZRXOG QRW OHW FDQFHU GHÀQH PH 0\ VFDUV became my courage, my medals of honor. The word battle is not an overstatement LQ WKH FRQFHSW RI ÀJKWLQJ FDQFHU 7KH GLVease attacks not only the cells in our bodies but also our strength and our tenacity. Cancer thrives on our weaknesses, but it trembles and recoils at our bravery and indomitability. It is a darkness that shrinks away as if in fear when the light appears. Cancer is an enemy that must be met head on with all the effort we can muster. I have been one of the fortunate ones: I survived, not once, but twice, when I faced the disease again seven years ago. Although the scenario was different, the outcome was the same; and my life was VSDUHG 7KH VHFRQG EDWWOH ZDV GLIÀFXOW EXW not insurmountable. This time, viewing my scars did not bring me to tears; instead, the sight of them empowered me. I have changed, both physically and emotionally. My priorities have become clearer, and I now have a different perspective about the things that are truly important to me. I am more thankful for the joys and less troubled by the sorrows. I hug those I love more tightly and smile more often. My life has been altered, but not destroyed. I am blessed beyond words. The future is uncertain for everyone, not just for those affected by cancer. We have no promise of tomorrow, but we must remind ourselves that every day is a gift. 7KHUH DUH PDQ\ ZKR ÀJKW ZLWK HYHU\WKLQJ they have, but lose the battle. They are the true heroes. They are the ones who, even in their absence, continue to encourage and inspire us. Their spirits lift us up and embrace us with hope. As we focus on the toll that breast cancer has taken on so many, let us pray for a cure and never lose sight of the important role that support and encouragement play in the lives of those affected by this monstrous disease. No matter what life throws your way‌refuse to play the victim. Refuse to be ruled by fear, pessimism, and negativity. Refuse to quit. Be a warrior‌ continually push forward. You are stronger than you think. —Zero Dean Page 24 { October 2018 { Bluffs & Bayous

Bluffs & Bayous { October 2018 { Page 25

THE social SCENE NATCHEZ, MISSISSIPPI

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Chamber After Hours at Merit Hospital

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erit Hospital Natchez hosted a Chamber After Hours and Meet and Greet for its new CEO and new doctors on August 2, 2018. Introductions were made of the new staff members, and guests enjoyed a variety of refreshments.

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7 1 Benny Jeansonne and Sim Mosby 2 Evelyn Fairchild and Dick Thompson 3 Kippy Blaney, Patricia Lozon, and Kari Blaney 4 Carey Kaiser and Ida Whetstone 5 Bazille and Jeannie Lanneau 6 Rene Cantu, Debby Hudson, and Jaki Robinson 7 James Brown, Scott Adams, and Key Smith 8 Lance Boyd; Dr. Kellen Jex; Dr. Miguel Figueroa; Dr. Thesselon Monderson; Dr. Jose Barba; Dr. Sahitya Bhandari; and Kristin Foster, FNP-C 9 Sue Stedman, Porcia Monderson, Dr. Thesselon Monderson, and Nancy Hungerford 10 Dee Ham, Michelle Kaiser, Suzanne Stead, and Susan Grayson

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THE social SCENE NATCHEZ, MISSISSIPPI

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CeCe McKinney’s DU Print Auctioned eCe McKinney, the daughter of Dan McKinney and Carlyn Elenbaas of Natchez, Mississippi, and a 2018 graduate of Cathedral High School, worked hard in Andree Gamberi’s Honors Art II class, creating her waterfowl painting “Hooded Merganser” for the Mississippi Ducks Unlimited (DU ) Junior Stamp competition. Each artist who enters the contest has a conservation message; CeCe’s was, “God created the wetlands; we must preserve His beautiful art.” She placed first in the competition, as did two others in her class but did not advance farther in the competition. Following the MS DU Junior Stamp Competition, CeCe’s waterfowl painting, along with other art winners’ paintings, was sent to the United States Fish and Wildlife service (USFW) to be placed on display at the Pascagoula River Audubon Center. Scott Forrest, the MS DU sponsor chairman, requested that the USFW pick three paintings from each age group (K12) to be judged by MS DU members for the annual DU Sponsor Print, instead of having a professional artist create it as in years past; and CeCe’s painting was selected as the 2018 MS DU Sponsor Print. On July 28, the first print of CeCe’s artwork was auctioned at the MS DU Convention held in Tupelo, Mississippi. She attended the convention and signed this print before placing it in the live auction among the twenty-four items being auctioned that evening. Beto Elizondo of Monroe, Louisiana, was the high bidder at $1000 for CeCe’s “Hooded Merganser.” The only other item selling higher was a chartered inshore fishing trip for two. Currently a freshman at LSU, CeCe McKinney credits Cathedral School’s Andree Gamberi for enabling her to discover her talent as an artist. She dedicates her artwork to the memory of her grandfather Edwin Kerstine, who passed away in May 2018.

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3 1 Carlyn Elenbaas and CeCe McKinney 2 Dale Hall, Ducks Unlimited CEO, with CeCe McKinney and Beto Elizondo 3 Dwight Jones, auctioneer, with CeCe McKinney and Scott Forrest 4 CeCe McKinney signing the first print

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THE social SCENE BROOKHAVEN, MISSISSIPPI

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Nix Family Reunion and 95th Birthday Celebration

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amily members gathered July 22, 2018, at Homestead in the Brookhaven Nurseries Event Center to commemorate Frank Nix’s 95th birthday as well as celebrate the Nix Family Reunion. Lunch was served with a birthday cake as dessert. Photographs by Lisa Whittington; final photograph by Bill Perkins

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Frank Nix Jim and Becky Nix Loretta Nix Smith and Kathy Howell Ryan and Kathy Nix Jim Nix with Linda and David Young Becky Dean with Becky and Jim Nix Bob and Jill Logan with Frank Nix Bill Perkins with Linda Young Frank Nix, Jill Logan, Linda Young, and Bob Logan Bob Logan, Guy Harris Nix III, and John Ogden Jim Nix, David Young, Frank Nix, Jill Logan, Linda Young, and Bob Logan Lexi McAdory, Drew McAlpin, Dawn Collins, Carroll Davis, and Vera Wadsworth with Aubree Sykes in front David Young, Linda Young, Jill Logan, Frank Burns, Becki Dean, James Nix, Becky Nix, Bob Logan, Lexi McAdory, Guy Nix III, Drew McAlpin, Dawn Collins, Aubree Sykes, Sally Ogden, John Ogden, Carroll Davis, Vera Wadsworth, Karen Howell, Loretta Smith, Ryan Nix, and Kathy Nix

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Bluffs & Bayous { October 2018 { Page 29

THE social SCENE NATCHEZ, MISSISSIPPI

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MSU Send-off Party n July 31, 2018, the Miss-Lou Mississippi State University Bulldogs of Adams, Franklin, and Wilkinson Counties in Mississippi and of Concordia Parish in Louisiana held their annual send-off party for students attending Mississippi State for the first time, either as transfers or as incoming freshman. At the lovely country home of Jeannie and Gary Edwards, students, parents, alumni, and friends enjoyed a variety of refreshments as they met and welcomed their new Bulldogs. Special guests also included Carl and Barbara Yeatman and Mary Flach, who spoke about the book they wrote and illustrated with ties to Mississippi State. Proceeds from their book sale benefit the scholarship fund of the MSU Alumni Association.

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1 Tom Middleton and Paul Burns 2 Katie Gillon and Elizabeth Gillon 3 Jennifer Rasberry, Phyllis Lewellyn, and Laurie Wells 4 Bryant and Jean Reed 5 Phyllis Lewellyn and Laurie Wells 6 Kathleen King, Lisa Mayer, and Tracey Gammon 7 Lou Ann Jordan and Jean Reed 8 Karen and Matt Verucchi 9 Billy Gillon, Mary Lees Wilson, and Gary Edwards 10 Suzanne Calhoun and Jaylan Calhoun 11 Front—Jaylan Calhoun, LeAnna Swain, Paola Hernandez, and Destiny Lyles; back—Ahriel Jones, Dre Doss, and Altman Biggs

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Discoveries Along and Beyond Jordan and Stephen Porter with Austin and Tresse Sumrall

Festive Pop-up Dinner Venue Showcases Mississippi Artisans’ Autumn Array

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desire to blend art, culture, nature, and food from local Mississippi artisans began when Tresse and Austin Sumrall came home for a visit last summer to the farm of his parents, Dawn and Hiram Sumrall, outside Liberty, Mississippi. While there, they dropped in on close friends Jordan Porter and her husband Stephen. They had moved from Little Rock, Arkansas, to return to her hometown where he is the manager of Summit, Mississippi’s Williamson Nursery, owned by his father-in-law, Max Spears, of Exterior Design and Landscape. These couples have been fast friends since Jordan and Stephen married.

photography by Elizabeth Tate, Sunkissed Photography Page 32 { October 2018 { Bluffs & Bayous

Discoveries Along and Beyond

While chatting with Stephen at the nursery, Austin remarked what a striking setting the nursery would be for events that commemorate the traditions and talents of local Mississippians. Both innovative thinkers with a love for Mississippi, they collaborated on the idea of holding a specialty-event “trial runâ€? in the nursery’s park-like venue, serving both as a soft debut for the local setting and as a precursor of Sumrall’s re-opening of White Pillars Restaurant in Biloxi, Mississippi, set for December 2017. This “friends-and-familyâ€? trial dinner held in October 2017 beFDPH D ´UXQ UXQ Âľ VHUYLQJ Ă€IW\ SHRSOH 7ZR months thereafter, the Sumralls celebrated their re-opening of the Mississippi Gulf Coast’s famed White Pillars, the original restaurant having been closed for thirty years.

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Discoveries Along and Beyond

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Discoveries Along and Beyond

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Discoveries Along and Beyond Bottom left—Max and Elizabeth Spears Bottom right—Johnny Crocker

On the evening of Williamson Nursery’s “family-and-friendsâ€? gathering, the outdoor surroundings were transformed into a magical Mississippi autumn evening. The open, elegant, cornucopia ambiance acclaimed the collaborative effort of gathering local handbuilt dining tables and benches made by Hiram Sumrall, pulling from multifamily inventories of McCarty pottery for service and dinnerware, enlisting loFDO YHQGRUV IRU Ă RUDO DFFHQWV DQG GpFRU assembling a select sampling of wines, and showcasing locally grown foods— DOO IXUQLVKLQJ WKH Ă€QHVVH DQG Ă DLU RI WKH multi-course dinner. Background strains of Johnny Crocker strumming his guitar and singing enhanced the warm milieu beneath the a-frame arbor that was adorned in the center with a crystal-and-chrysanthemum chandelier, and complemented along the sides with an array of gilded

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Discoveries Along and Beyond Middle—Stephen Porter and Austin Sumrall

and painted pumpkins accenting bedding plants abloom in displays of green, gray, and white. Strung outside the arbor, bistro lights offered a gentle glow to the evening’s feasting and camaraderie. Wafting from Austin Sumrall’s pop-up kitchen, tantalizing aromas teased eager guests, enhancing anticipation for each up-and-coming serving of the dinner’s fare. Stephen Porter, having left his job in Little Rock for life in Jordan’s home town, has embraced all that is Mississippi and the area they have chosen to make their home. “Celebrating all the local talent and gathering family, friends, and new friends together ZLWK Ă€QH IRRG DQG GULQN LV ZKDW LW LV all about,â€? he explained. This year, Austin Sumrall and Stephen Porter plan another celebratory dinner at Williamson Nursery, once again catered by Sumrall’s White 3LOODUV 5HVWDXUDQW ZLWK Ă RUDO GpFRU E\ The Village Flower and Gift Shop in Summit, Mississippi. Cork and Cast of McComb, Mississippi, will furnish the beverages for the food-and-wine parings. These and all other elements of the evening will salute the diligence, craftsmanship, and creativity of native and new Mississippians. “Mississippi is a wonderful place to come home to and live; what we are doing is creating events that celebrate our culture, our community, and our state,â€? Austin Sumrall concluded. For more information on upcoming nursery events, contact Stephen Porter at Williamson Nursery (601.276.2794). When on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, be sure to visit White Pillars Restaurant in Biloxi, Mississippi (228.207.088; biloxiwhitepillars.com). Bluffs & Bayous { October 2018 { Page 37

THE social SCENE MCCOMB, MISSISSIPPI

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Baby Shower for Mary Lane Lala n September 8, 2018, in McComb, Mississippi, historic Brentwood, circa 1912, was the setting for a princess baby shower for Mary Lane Lala. Guests entered the foyer to the games of Late Night Diaper Duty fun quotes and Guess Mommy’s Waist Size. Wicker baby carriages, vintage girl dresses, and other items were displayed throughout the parlor. The main-table centerpiece was a carriage arrangement of white mums and pink azaleas. There was an array of appetizers, pimento and chicken salad on croissant sandwiches, tomato tarts, sausage balls with dipping sauce, mixed fruit on skewers, and a mock-champagne punch. The cake by Michael Gutusso had a butter cream, strawberry icing decorated in swirls of mini roses. Guests received a takehome favor, a tea-light candle with an attached note that read, “Burn this tea light on the night, once the stork has made its flight, with a flicker of the flame, please say a prayer in Mary’s name.” The floral arrangement was placed on the gravesite of Mary’s namesake, her late great-grandmother Sharron Lane Strickland. Mary Lane Lala will be born to her parents, Jeffrey and Tiffany Lala, and big sister, Mattie.

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1 Tiffany and Jeffrey Lala 2 Tammy Strickland, Rebecca Wallace, Libby Strickland, and Loretta Brown 3 Barbara Morgan and Rebecca Morgan 4 Dawn Lala, Tiffany Lala, Stephanie Lala, and Bonnie Pipitone 5 Jean Wallace, Shirley Arnold, and Peggy May 6 Tiffany Lala, Jean Wallace, and Tammy Strickland 7 Pattie Landry and Tiffany Lala 8 Amelia Childress, Tiffany Lala, and Meridith Childress 9 Colleen Strickland, Sheila Childress, Meredith Childress, Amelia Childress, Tiffany Lala, Sheree Strickland, Cairey Beth Strickland (holding baby Adalynn), and Sandy Smith

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THE social SCENE WESSON, MISSISSIPPI

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Reception for Co-Lin President opiah-Lincoln Community College’s Wesson Campus held a reception honoring new Co-Lin President Dr. Jane G. Hulon on August 24, 2018, at the Thames Conference Center in Wesson, Mississippi. Friends, family, colleagues, and community members attended the reception to congratulate Dr. Hulon and her family. Photos by Scarlett Hart and Natalie Davis

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1 Mindy McDowell, Carrie Thomas, Sandie Dellacroce, Dr. Jane Hulon, Renee Toulme, Sandy Ray, Micki Collins, Jill Hernandez, Frances Cruthirds, Samantha Dellacroce, and Andrea Barker 2 Bobby Grissom, Mary Anna Waldrup, Mark Grissom, Helen Grissom, Dr. Jane G. Hulon, and Terry Grissom 3 Janet Smith and Dr. Billy Thames 4 Angela Furr, Jillian Ricceri, and Katie Nations 5 Tommy Stewart, Dr. Jane Hulon, and Jennifer Stewart 6 Will Hulon, Dr. Jane Hulon, and Drew Hulon 7 Dr. Dewayne Middleton, Ray Ishee, Gwyn Young, and Dennis Sims 8 Dr. Ronnie Nettles, Dr. Billy Thames, Dr. Jane Hulon, and Dr. Howell Garner

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Bluffs & Bayous { October 2018 { Page 39

THE wedding SCENE NATCHEZ, MISSISSIPPI

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Engagement Party for Taylor and Gamberi

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riends gathered at Ravennaside, the home of Wanda and Ricky Smith, to congratulate Katy Taylor and Jonathan Gamberi on their engagement. Cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, buffet barbeque, and a variety of pick-up desserts were served during the party.

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Jonathan Gamberi and Katy Taylor Jonathan Gamberi and Tre Lansing Kathleen Taunton and Pat Voss Mike Rinehart, Rod Daggett, and Jack Aubic Joe Gamberi with Amelia and Roger McDonald Bubba Kaiser, Brian Callaway, and Elliott McCann Wanda Smith, Maddie Kirkwood, and Jan Kirkwood Dane and Caroline Garner with Mark Taunton Jarrod McPhate, Garyn Ball, Helena St. Clair, and Matt Riggins Penny Daggett, Donna Callaway, and Andree Gamberi Andreé Gamberi and Ricky Smith Mike Rinehart with Charlie and Audrey Leckie Front—Mark and Kathleen Taunton, Jonathan Gamberi and Katy Taylor, and Henry Watts; 2nd row—Mike and Cheryl Rinehart and Kirby Watts; 3rd row—Wanda Smith and Jan and Jeff Kirkwood; 4th row—Mark and Pam McCann with Penny and Rod Daggett

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THE wedding SCENE

NATCHEZ, MISSISSIPPI

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14 Matt Riggins, Helena St. Clair, Kirby Watts, and Mary Ruth Caldwell 15 Nick Blain, Adam Kaiser, Emily Coleman, Josh Gamberi, and Patrick Blanchard 16 Kalin and Barret Hamil with Garyn Ball and Josh Gamberi 17 Justin Barlow, Caity Barlow, Camryn Dayton, Cathy Roberts, and Katy Taylor 18 John and Jean Leckie, Andreé Gamberi, and Charlie Leckie 19 Joey Gamberi, Jamie Gamberi, Joe and Andreé Gamberi, Josh Gamberi, and Jonathon Gamberi 20 LeAnn Williams, Kurt Russ, Jonathan Gamberi, Katy Taylor, Jake Kaiser, Eric Hollowell, Michael Bee, Danielle Eubanks, Nick Blain, and Jacob Cowart 21 Front—Patrick McDonough, Eric Hollowell, and Jonathan Gamberi; back—Nick Blain, Jacob Cowart, Kalin Hamil, Patrick Blanchard, and Jake Kaiser 22 Front—Ashley Hall, Joey Gamberi, Jonathan Gamberi, Katy Taylor, and Joe and Andreé Gamberi; back— Shellee Johnson, Jamie Gamberi, Garyn Ball, and Josh Gamberi 23 LeAnn Williams, Jacob Cowart, Jake Kaiser, and Danielle Eubanks 24 Kyle Holzhab, Michael Bee, Jonathan Gamberi, and Trey Corbett

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Bluffs & Bayous { October 2018 { Page 41

THE social SCENE BROOKHAVEN, MISSISSIPPI

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Betty’s Eat Shop’s Second Anniversary

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etty’s Eat Shop in Brookhaven, Mississippi, recently enjoyed its Second Anniversary Celebration with many family members, friends, and customers present to join in the festivities. Photographs by Bill Perkins

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1 Susan Fitzsimmons and Cayce Wallace 2 Sam and Sherri Mathis 3 Nic and Jillian Ricceri 4 Ben and Stacy Lambert 5 Anna Kathryn Simpson, William White, Mary White, and Mary Alan White 6 Cody Dunaway 7 Andy Allen, Sam Mathis, chef/ owner Matt Fitzsimmons, and John Jordan 8 Zak Day 9 Rivers, Anabel, Bruce, Lily, and Gracie Gray 10 Kiada Johnson and Glenda Hux 11 Hannah Johnson 12 Kyle Britt, Anne Houston Craig, Erin Culpepper, and Mason Smith

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THE social SCENE

BROOKHAVEN, MISSISSIPPI

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13 Gracie Lambert, Chauncey Collins, and Hannah Johnson 14 Michael Waltmann, Stevie Fitzsimmons, and Kevin Hux 15 Bill Phillips, Lyndsey Phillips Robinson, Susan Fitzsimmons, and Kathy Phillips 16 Troy and Ashley Douglas with Lacey Bates 17 Shannon and Robin Patterson with Cayce Wallace 18 Paige Anderson, Lindsey Robinson, and Katie Lee 19 Sherri Mathis, Ashley Holtslander, and Misty King 20 Susan Fitzsimmons, Katie Furr, and Steve Fitzsimmons

Bluffs & Bayous { October 2018 { Page 43

THE social SCENE NATCHEZ, MISSISSIPPI

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Blackwell Campaign Kick-off Reception kick-off campaign gathering was held recently in support of Debra Blackwell, Assistant District Attorney for Adams County, who is running for Circuit Court Judge in the November election. Wanda and Ricky Smith welcomed citizens from throughout the area to their home Ravennaside in Natchez, Mississippi, for the meetand-greet occasion. Photography by Lisa Whittington

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1 Angie and Tim Cotton 2 Debra Blackwell and Walter Brown 3 Katherine Hoggatt and Debra Blackwell 4 Johnny Junkin with Debra Blackwell 5 Connie Burns and Brenda Hopkins 6 Lisa Chandler and Marcia Thompson 7 Ruth and Paul Anderson 8 Missy Brown and Philip Carby 9 Grace Steiner and Joel Guyer 10 Bernie Pyron and Debra Blackwell 11 Debra Blackwell with Sheriff Travis Patton 12 John Wilkerson and Libby Faircloth 13 Agnes Holloway and Sherry Kiser 14 Debra Blackwell and Edmond Perrault 15 Wanda Smith and Sue Stedman 16 Tony Byrne and Dan Dillard 17 Tony Byrne and Debra Blackwell 18 Charles Zuccaro and Debra Blackwell 19 Charles and Kathy Harrigill

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THE social SCENE

NATCHEZ, MISSISSIPPI

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20 Joe Stedman with Debra Blackwell and Sue Stedman 21 Guy Bass, Jake Jones, and Rusty Jenkins 22 Tony Byrne, Danny Barber, and Annette Byrne 23 Dr. Melissa Jones and Peyton Cavin with Tim Blalock 24 Gary Blackwell, Skipper Blackwell, and Thomas Grennell 25 Pattye Wallace, Linda Foster, and Brenda Hopkins 26 Gwen Ball, Dan Dillard, and Lauri Boyd 27 Philip Carby, Debra Blackwell, and Stella Carby 28 Debra Blackwell with John and Cheryl Peterman 29 Corky Vess, Debra Blackwell, and Charlie Vess 30 Skipper and Debra Blackwell with Rusty Jenkins 31 Brenda Hopkins, Charles Zuccaro, Debra Blackwell, and Pattye Wallace 32 Front—Pam Ferrington, Debra Blackwell, and Skipper Blackwell; middle—Lauri Boyd, Ray Bradford, Andrea Bradford, Brenda Hopkins, and Mike Hopkins; back—Ricky Smith and Wanda Smith

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Bluffs & Bayous { October 2018 { Page 45

THE social SCENE NATCHEZ, MISSISSIPPI

Visit www.bluffsbayous.com for all social scenes.

33 Skipper and Debra Blackwell with Brenda and Mike Hopkins 34 Brenda Hopkins, Debra Blackwell, Pattye Wallace, Eileen Ball, and Andrea Bradford 35 Kathy Guyer, Judy Strickland, Linda Golden, and Joel Guyer 36 Ricky Smith, Pat Burns, Wanda Smith, and Chuck Norris 37 Skipper and Debra Blackwell with Gordon and Judy Brown

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Bluffs & Bayous { October 2018 { Page 47

Against Current: On River Bootleggers, Bayou Moonshiners, and the Perseverance of Prohibition in Mississippi—Part II story and photograpy by Kerry Rose Dicks [Visit our blog at www.bluffsbayous.com for Part I.]

I

t’s ninety-three degrees outside. The dust and love bugs loiter outside my window like homeless men with cardboard signs; I avoid eye contact. My car’s air conditioner just quit mid-afternoon on a back road in July; and for reasons I’ll explain later, I don’t quite know where I am. Louisiana or Mississippi or Arkansas, maybe. I do know I’m near the Mississippi River, and I do know where I’ve come from to get here. In Part I of this series, I traveled from New Orleans to Natchez and documented the disparity between how these states have responded to drinking since the turn of the nineteenth century. Contrary to Louisiana, here in Mississippi prohibition lasted for QHDUO\ ÀIW\ \HDUV DQG ZH·UH VWLOO FRQVLGHUHG GU\ ZLWK ORFDO FKRLFH Even today, our laws governing the work of brewers and distillers are still decades behind these laws in many other states. Page 48 { October 2018 { Bluffs & Bayous

Before I head north again, though, I get a call that sends me riverside to the Saloon, a long-time watering hole in Natchez. Upstairs, I sit down across a wobbling wooden table from a modern-day moonshiner. He’s wearing a glow-in-the-dark necklace and a T-shirt with a howling wolf printed across the front. Though he doesn’t make moonshine anymore—he was caught and sentenced not too long ago—he tells me, “I know for a fact where 20 stills are a few miles from where we’re sitting. So there are probably 200 stills within 20 miles of here.” They make it for a little cash, he says. He made it because he knew he could do better than the “sour corn stuff” he was offered by others. “It’s easy to make trash moonshine,” he says. All it takes is cornmeal, yeast, sugar, and water. The yeast breaks down the sugar in the cornmeal. That mash is heated, evaporating the alcohol into

steam, which is then condensed back into clear liquid moonshine. +H XVHG D FUDZĂ€VK ERLOLQJ SRW DQG FRSSHU WXELQJ EHIRUH XSJUDGLQJ WR D WZHQW\ Ă€YH JDOORQ VWLOO IURP +LOOELOO\VWLOOV FRP DQG KH thought he was doing it legally. “I asked the local P. D. They said it was legal to make a small amount for private consumption. That’s not true. It’s a felony to even own a still unless it’s decoration or for essential oils.â€? As he WHOOV PH WKLV Ă€UHZRUNV H[SORGH RQ D EDUJH DFURVV WKH ULYHU VLOKRXetting his head through the window like a stained glass saint. It’s the Fourth of July outside. “But when they busted me, the D. A. asked me for some moonshine,â€? he says. “The judge asked me for some moonshine. Everybody wants moonshine. The only thing they want is a cut of it, their tax.â€? This is not a new concept. In fact, the reason

prohibition lasted so long in this state can be pinpointed to the Black Market Tax. Lasting from 1944 to 1966, this law imposed a WD[ RQ DOO FRQWUDEDQG DOFRKRO ZLWKRXW DFWXDOO\ FRQĂ€VFDWLQJ LW William Winter, the tax collector back then, was paid ten percent of everything he collected, making him, according to a 1962 Times DUWLFOH WKH VHFRQG KLJKHVW SDLG JRYHUQPHQW RIĂ€FLDO LQ WKH United States that year. Admittedly, Winter himself believed in local option and campaigned to have the law repealed and his job made obsolete, but others saw it as a win-win-win situation. As a friend of mine would put it later, “The church was happy it was illegal. The bootleggers were happy making plenty of money. And the state was happy that it got its share!â€? Even before this tax came into play, though, it was never KDUG WR Ă€QG D GULQN LQ SURKLELWLRQ HUD 0LVVLVVLSSL HVSHFLDOO\ LQ Bluffs & Bayous { October 2018 { Page 49

those counties along the river that resisted the law from day one. The role the river played in this has been scantly documented. I guess someone has to belly up to the bar; I just didn’t realize I’d be doing it sans air conditioner. Before it up and quits on me, though, I’m driving north from Natchez to Vicksburg where I visit the Lower Mississippi River Museum on the levee. Today, the river is DZDVK ZLWK ÀVKHUPHQ DQG WRZERDWV EXW LW à RZHG TXLHWO\ LQ WKH GD\V RI SURKLELWLRQ after the rise and fall of steamboats but before barges fully took over. The rum runners I read about in New Orleans never made it up this far. What mattered to bootleggers and moonshiners wasn’t the distance from headwater to mouth but from bank to bank and precisely where they conducted their business between the two. Today, the boundary line between two ULYHU ERXQG VWDWHV LV GHÀQHG E\ WKH WKDOweg, the deepest navigable point of the stream at the time of the state’s formation. In 1909, before the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers tamed it, the river changed

course whenever it felt like it; and those boundaries weren’t so clearly established. That year, when state-level prohibition took effect in Mississippi, Tom Morrissey knew what to do. When the police came knocking at the door of his bar, located on Desoto Island across from Vicksburg, he wasn’t there; but he wasn’t far either. Rather, he and his stock of beer and liTXRU ZHUH \DUGV DZD\ VHW XS XQGHU KLV makeshift “tent saloon,â€? untouchable, on the Louisiana side of the island. His case was fought in court. The mayor, city engineers, boat captains, and boundary surveyors were called to the stand; but in all the confusion, the former steamboat captain got away with it. 7KLV LV ZKHUH , Ă€QG P\VHOI RQ P\ way north, caught between boundaries, confused. Crossing over the bridge at Vicksburg, I plan to follow the river up and back over again into Greenville. Around Millikin, Louisiana, hot air starts to blow out of the car vents; and I pull over onto a dirt road, step out of the car, and struggle to lift its hood, just to stare stupidly

Page 50 { October 2018 { Bluffs & Bayous

into the engine before giving up. I have no phone signal, but I do have a relic buried in the back of my glove compartment: a travel map. Curious as to what’s around me, I dust it off, unfold it across the hood, DQG WUDFH D ÀQJHU DORQJ WKH VWDWH ERUGHU EHtween Louisiana and Mississippi. If you aren’t from around here and, hell, even if you are, you can hardly be blamed for not realizing the border doesn’t quite follow the river. 0\ ÀQJHU VZRRSV EDFN DQG IRUWK DFURVV the blue streak like a bird overhead, sometimes even curving back in on itself. Hovering over about where my car should EH P\ ÀQJHU VKRZV /RXLVLDQD LV VRPHKRZ on the right side of the river; Mississippi is on the left. Arkansas is right there, too; but with my now-challenged sense of direction, I’m just glad Arkansas is still above. I start to realize that I don’t really understand anything at all about this land and this water, but that’s probably how the bootleggers and moonshiners wanted it. I take the paper travel map I’ve just folded up; and fanning myself the whole

way, I drive up from Louisiana to Arkansas and over the Greenville Bridge back into Mississippi. When the state borders were established, they followed the Mississippi River, but it’s changed course so much that only blue slivers of it remain along the dotted border line of my map. The Mississippi has a mind of its own, and I rarely know what it’s thinking. While I might say I live on the river, it’s not necessarily true. In Natchez, I live twohundred feet above it. The people here, they live on the river; and I think they have a better understanding of it and its ways than I do. The Delta is a low-lying alluvial SODLQ D à DW VZHHSLQJ ODQGIRUP RI VHGLPHQW deposited by the river. Everything is farmland up here, dark green clusters of trees off in the distance, rich brown dirt at your feet, blue-black clouds heavy with rain above. You’re so close to the earth here, so close to the beginning of it all that you can smell it. So little has been written nationally about moonshining on the river here. Before visiting, my research consisted

mostly of newspaper crime reports from WKH HUD $V , ÀQG RXW WKRXJK ZKHQ , SXOO up to Roy’s Store to meet Hank Burdine an hour after my air conditioner broke down, the best information comes from the source, the mouth, as it were. Hank is a levee contractor and Delta know-it-all. His hair is white like lightning; his head, cocked. His lip twitches like a dog that’s unsure whether he likes the smell of you or not. He drives in the smack-dab middle of the back roads we wander, which I think is his way of claiming this land, the Delta, as his own; or he’s just tipsy. Around noon, he asks me if I want a Pimm’s Cup or a Delta Hoojoo. I gamble with the latter; and my lips go a little numb sipping the orange juice, cranberry juice, and vodka concoction. They’re good at drinking here, and they’re good at making their own fun as Hank puts it. They’ve also been known to be good at making something else. During prohibition, the marshy islands scattered down the Mississippi River were covered in moonshining stills. There

was President’s Island and Beulah Island, Peter’s Island and Jessie Harris Towhead Island. But the most notorious of these was Big Island across from Rosedale, Mississippi, a town which Florence Sillers Ogden called “the corn-liquor center of the drought-stricken nation.â€? One Christmastime raid on Big Island in 1927 ended with WKH FRQĂ€VFDWLRQ RI JDOORQV RI PDVK 10,000 pounds of sugar, 600 gallons of whiskey, 24 stills, 2 motorboats, and the arrest of 46 people. Hank also tells me the story of Captain George Reed who made the mistake of tying up his barge on Big Island to help a towboat that had run aground. When he and his

Bluffs & Bayous { October 2018 { Page 51

FUHZ Ă€QDOO FUHZ Ă€QDOO\ PDGH LW EDFN WR WKHLU EDUJH WKH\ IRXQG LW HPSW\ :KDW had they been b hauling? Sacks and sacks of sugar. Captain Reed... might as well call him the moonshiners’ Santa Clause. Big IIsland was 121,000 acres of tangled wilderness, a noman’s land, la at least no common man. These moonshiners were mostly “river rats,â€? that group of people dubbed as such by William Alexander Percy for their tenacious grit; their lack of social soc graces; their dirty teeth; and, most puzzling, their blond hair. But they did not live entirely devoid of order. The most m notorious of all the Big Island residents was not a “rive “river ratâ€? himself but he did rule them: “ “Perry Martin was the law. [‌] he wore a badge and had been deputized by an Arkansas sheriff,â€? said one island moonshiner. mo Unlike the ‘shine distilled by his forgotten contemporaries, con which was sold mostly to poor people and an juke houses, PM moonshine purportedly was drunk by the county sheriff, the governor, and even Al Capone himself. h Contrary to most “white lightning,â€? Martin’s moonshine m was golden brown. “He would take the oak barrels and put them in the river in these backwater slews and eddies,â€? Hank tells me over another Delta Hoojoo. “The waves would come off the river, and the tannin was what colored the whiskey to this brownish tint. After that, he would bury them in the ground.â€? Hank isn’t the only one telling me stories. That night, he throws a party at his house on Lake Washington. I meet Jack Jackson and Bo Weevil and %UXFLH ZKR , ODWHU Ă€QG RXW LV VRPHZKDW UHODWHG WR PH 7KH\ DOO \HOO %UXFLH ZKR , over each other and ma make sure my drink gets “patched,â€? or stays perpetually Page 52 { October 2018 { Bluffs & Bayous

full. I talk to Jack Coleman, whose uncle sold kegs to Martin way back when. He wants to start a PM distillery up here. Bo Weevil and Jack make the same exact gesWXUH D VTXLQWHG H\H DQG SRLQWHG Ă€QJHU when they each say to me, verbatim, “One moonshiner could stand on his still on Big Island and see twenty or thirty others down the coastline.â€? I like it each time I hear it, WKRXJK , LPDJLQH WKH Ă€UVW WLPH WKH\ HDFK heard the story.â€? My favorite story Hank tells is about John Johnson, a black man, who at eighty years old was the best man in Hank’s wedding. During the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, the worst river flood in U.S. history, Johnson was given a motor boat and instructed to go out collecting people. Instead, he headed to the north-east quadrant of Greenville. “He said he knew all those folks out yonder and every one of them had a keg out in the yard,â€? Hank smiles conspiratorially. “But when the flood came, all that whiskey popped up out of the ground; and he’d load up fifteen, twenty kegs a day when he’s supposed to be loading folks up. Then he’d take that whiskey out and sell it on the levee.â€?

They like telling stories up here, especially stories about wiliness, about men who listen and watch and let nature do her thing and then reap the rewards of their cunning and her fury. They are more attuned to nature here, more humbled by her: On a Saturday morning, Hank and I go scouting for armyworms that are destroying his crops; at the party, Larry Goldstein and Marilyn Burke discuss the need to carry a gun or two when you live on a farm in the middle of nowhere by yourself; and with their eyes shut really tight, every one of them prays over the corn we just picked IURP D QHLJKERULQJ Ă€HOG ,¡G ZDJHU WKH PRRQVKLQHUV EHIRUH WKHP ZKR Ă HG WKH ULYer like ants when the levee broke, had the same respect. I’d wager that it was their acceptance of the river’s chaos and their meager existence on its banks that made them good at what they did, so good there’s little record of it. Generations later, these are a people who remember well, who were taught to remember well. Born and raised here, Hank is hip deep in every story he lets slip between his lips. “I shouldn’t be telling you this,â€? he tells me over and over again. They might just be stories, anecdotes

hollered over the roar of a boat engine, mumbled into tumblers of whiskey, sung on the backs of guitar notes. I think back to the paper map, though, to the dotted line. The Mississippi might not follow it anymore; but memories of the way it once was surface along the line as oxbow lakes, bayous, and abandoned meanders. In the same way, the people here grow up listening to stories of moonshiners and of the river. They have babies and they one day tell them about PM and Big Island. They hunt alligators and grow soybeans and throw parties where they shake jars ÀOOHG ZLWK FOHDU OLTXRU WR VHH KRZ ORQJ WKH bubbles last. They grow old, die, get buried in the ground here. But the stories survive like the oxbow lakes they live on. And it’s the stories to which I cling when I say goodbye on a Sunday morning. I order one Delta Hoojoo for the road, hold the orange juice and the cranberry juice and even the vodka. Driving back from where I’ve come, back into the present, I roll down my windows and grab clean ice cubes out of the Styrofoam cup. I rub them against my forehead and behind my ears until they melt and WKH ZDWHU à RZV VRXWK GRZQ P\ DUPV DQG over my bones.

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OCTOBER Louisiana Up & Coming! louisianatravel.com ALEXANDRIA alexandriapinevillela.com rapidessymphony.org October 1 8th Annual Pumpkin Patch Gone Wild Safari 805 Hooper Rd. 9 am - 6 pm FB: gonewildsafaripineville October 1 - November 16 Inglewood Farm Corn Maze 6233 Old Baton Rouge Hwy. $8 / $10 ryan@inglewoodfarm.com October 6 4th Annual Funktoberfest 1200 Texas Ave. 2 - 10 pm FB: Funktoberfestcenla October 10 - 14 Rapides Parish Fair 8149 Hwy. 71 S. therapidesfair.com October 11 - 21 I Hate Hamlet City Park Players Hearn Stage @ Kress Theatre 7:30 pm & 2:30 pm 318.484.4478 cpptheatre.com October 19 Fall Art Week Downtown 4 - 9 pm / Free 318.484.4474 FB: FallArtWalk 2018 October 25 13th Annual Fall Festival City of Pineville Kees Park 6 - 8 pm October 25 - 27 A Very Merry Market Jr. League of Alexandria Riverfront Center FB: A Very Merry Market 2018

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Bluffs & Bayous { October 2018 { Page 57

OCTOBER Louisiana Up & Coming! Through October 14 &RQĂ XHQFH E\ -HUU\ 8HOVPDQQ LSU Museum of Art lsumoa.org October 5, 12, 19, 26 Live After 5 Free Concerts/Downtown City Hall Plaza visitbatonrouge.com October 4 'RXJ 9DURQH 'DQFHUV Baton Rouge Ballet LSU Student Union Theatre 225.578.5128 2FWREHU Boo at the Zoo Baton Rouge Zoo 9:30 am - 4 pm 225.775.3877 / brzoo.org October 25 - November 4 Greater Baton Rouge State Fair 16072 Airline Hwy. gbsf.com

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Bluffs & Bayous { October 2018 { Page 59

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OCTOBER Mississippi Up & Coming! October 6 43rd Ole Brook Fest Downtown 601.833.1411 brookhavenchamber.org October 6 - 14 Newsies Brookhaven Little Theatre 7:30 pm / 2 pm Tickets: vendini.com October 18 3HHO ·(P (DW ·(P 6KULPS 'LQQHU Brookhaven Junior Auxiliary Lincoln Civic Center $15 601.754.3507 October 23 BARL Celebrity Dinner Travis Mills Lincoln Civic Center 5:30 pm 601.720.1505

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OCTOBER Mississippi Up & Coming! October 4, 11, 18, 25 Noon Tunes Depot Pavilion Noon / Free October 4 3$/6 7RDVW 7DLOV The Mill 6 - 9 pm October 5 Pike County Annual Golf Tournament Fernwood Country Club pikeinfo.com October 9 Pike County Arts Council presents Luckenbach Band State Theatre $10 members / $25 non-members 601.810.1589

Page 66 { October 2018 { Bluffs & Bayous

Mississippi Up & Coming! OCTOBER October 11 - 14 Little Women Depot Theatre 7:30 pm & 2:30 pm 601.310.4933

Through October 7 Belles Natchez Little Theatre 7:30 pm natchezlittletheatre.org

October 20 - November 30 Art Exhibit MS Museum of Art McComb Library pikeinfo.com

Through October 8 Fall Pilgrimage 9DULRXV (YHQWV 7RXUV natchezpilgrimage.com

October 6 Oktoberfest Natchez Brewing 1 - 8 pm October 7 Southern Celebrations Bridal Show Natchez Convention Center 1 - 4 pm / $15

November 1 -RGL -DPHV &OD\ 3DUNHU $OEXP Launch Pike County Arts Council Brentwood House 6 - 9 pm $10 members only 601.684.1589 November 8 0LVWOHWRH 0DJLF One Day Special Shopping Business Hours - 8 pm 601.684.2291 MEADVILLE Throughout October meadvillems.com October 27 Praise the Lard Explosion Cookoff Enter up to Day of Event Check-in: 7:30 am / Tasting: 1 pm 601.384.2400 FB: Homochitto-River-Festival October 28 Homochitto River Festival Main Street 8 am - 8 pm franklincountrynow.org FB: Homochitto-River-Festival NATCHEZ See Natchez citysightseeingnatchez.com Throughout October Live Music Events Calendar visitnatchez.org/full-event-calendar Throughout October visitnatchez.org

Bluffs & Bayous { October 2018 { Page 67

OCTOBER Mississippi Up & Coming! October 11 1R 6KRZ )DOO %DVK %HQHÀW Any Locale Donation & Payment Options 601.443.9065 natchezgardenclub.org/events

November 1 Antiques Forum Pilgrimage Garden Club Gates open 10 am $10 / Children under 12 free natchezpilgrimage.com

October 25 Trunk or Treat Freedom Ridge Park Ages 10 & under 6 - 8 pm / $5 visitridgeland.com

October 13 - 14 1DWFKH] *XQ .QLIH 6KRZ Natchez Convention Center 9 am

November 8 - 10 Angels on the Bluff Natchez City Cemetery $30 Natchez Visitors Center 1.800.647.6724

RUTH

October 19 - 21 Great Mississippi River Balloon Race natchezballoonrace.com October 26 3rd Annual Natchez Witches Ride Downtown 6 - 9 pm October 27 11th $QQXDO %ODFN %OXH &LYLO :DU Living History Historic Jefferson College 10 am October 27 Kings Tavern Ghost Haunt Kings Tavern 11:55 pm - 6 am

November 10 Longwood Afternoon Longwood natchezpilgrimage.com PORT GIBSON FB: portgibson.chamber RIDGELAND Throughout October visitridgeland.com October 13 Renaissance Euro Fest 1000 Colony Pkwy. 10 am visitridgeland.com

October 28 Concerts for A Cure Monmouth Historic Inn 4 pm / $75

Page 68 { October 2018 { Bluffs & Bayous

Every Saturday in October $UG·V )DUP 10 am - 4 pm 601.606.8418 )% $UG·V )DUP SUMMIT Throughout October pikeinfo.com summits.org October 13 Summit Fall Festival Downtown 8 am - 4 pm summit.org )% 7RZQ RI 6XPPLW 0LVVLVVLSSL )DOO Festival November 8 0LVWOHWRH 0DJLF One Day Special Shopping Business Hours - 8 pm 601.684.2291

Mississippi Up & Coming! OCTOBER VICKSBURG Throughout October southernculture.org visitvicksburg.com vicksburgartassociation.org tarawildlife.com vicksburgtheatreguild.com info@southernculture.org

October 5 47th Anniversary Show Attic Gallery / Downtown 7 - 9 pm 601.638.9221

October 6 Bridge the Gap Walk, Run Roll or Stroll-A-Thon Old MS River Bridge 9 am 601.969.4009

October 6 Old Courthouse Flea Market 1008 Cherry St. 601.636.0741

October 6 Oktober Fest Cottonwood Public House Noon - 11 pm 601.501.7712

Through October 7 Fall Pilgrimage Sun., Thur., Fri. & Sat. 601.456.0420 vicksburgpilgrimage.com

BBQ

@HOMOCHITTORIVERFESTIVAL

CALL: 601.384.2100

EMAIL: HRFCOOKOFF@GMAIL.COM

Bluffs & Bayous { October 2018 { Page 69

OCTOBER Mississippi Up & Coming! October 12 - 13 6RXWKHUQ +HULWDJH 7ZLOLJKW $LU 6KRZ Diamond Rio Vicksburg-Tallulah Regional Airport 318.574.2731 / southernheritageair.org October 13 30th Over the River Run Old Mississippi River Bridge 601.631.2997 southernculture.org/events/otrr.htm

October 19 - November 9 Every Friday Classics in the Courtyard Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation Noon - 1 pm 601.631.2997 October 26 - November 4 Hunchback of Notre Dame Parkside Playhouse 601.636.0471 / vicksburgtheatreguild.com

WESSON Throughout October Facebook: Wesson Chamber October 6 Glowing Old School . 5XQ :DON .LGV 0LOH )XQ 5XQ Old Wesson School 7 pm / $25 FB: Wesson Chamber WOODVILLE Throughout October townofwoodville.org FB: Woodville/Wilkinson County Main 6WUHHW $VVRFLDWLRQ

%H VXUH WR FRQÀUP GHWDLOV RI WKH HYHQWV should changes have occurred since events were submitted.

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Bluffs & Bayous { October 2018 { Page 71

SOUTHERN SAMPLER

BY

Alma M. Womack

Autumn Up-country Caper

L

ast year in October, my friends/cousins, Francis Pugh DQG &DURO\Q +XIIPDQ DQG , OHIW WKH IULHQGO\ FRQÀQHV RI Catahoula Parish for a cruise up the northeast coast of the country. We were to cruise all the way up to Nova Scotia, enjoy the cool weather, view different scenery, and admire beautiful fall foliage. Our hopes were high. 2XU à LJKW OHIW %DWRQ 5RXJH HDUO\ RQ WKH PRUQLQJ RI 2FWREHU 4; Carolyn and Francis had seats together, but I shared my space ZLWK D SRXQG PDQ ZKR OHDQHG KLV KHDG DJDLQVW WKH VHDW LQ IURQW of him and snored and grunted till we arrived in Charlotte, North Carolina. Across the aisle was a relatively smaller man, only 300 pounds, who also snored during the whole trip. He also had his legs stretched out in the aisle, blocking the way for anyone wanting to get by. I did get to kick him when the attendant was coming to bring drinks to everyone. That was fun. We changed planes in Charlotte to go to New York, and it was uneventful. My former seat mates stayed in North Carolina. When we got to New York, we began a marathon of standing in line and proving that we were citizens of the United States. In one line, ZKHUH , ZDV VWDQGLQJ WKH RIÀFLDO ORRNHG DW P\ ELUWK FHUWLÀFDWH DQG my driver’s license and noticed that the last names didn’t match. Page 72 { October 2018 { Bluffs & Bayous

He was serious about the mismatch. It was hard, but I calmly explained that I was born into a family named McClure, but later PDUULHG D PDQ QDPHG :RPDFN 7KLV VDWLVÀHG WKH GLP EXOE DQG , was allowed to go stand in another line. :H ÀQDOO\ ZHUH DEOH WR ERDUG WKH VKLS WKDW ZDV ELJJHU WKDQ DQ\WKLQJ , KDG HYHU VHHQ :H ZHUH RQ WKH WZHOIWK à RRU DQG ZH ZHQW XS on the opposite side from our room, which meant a two-mile hike to the other side. When we found our lodgings, though, we were KDSS\ WR ÀQG WKHP YHU\ URRP\ DQG FRPIRUWDEOH SOHQW\ RI VSDFH for the three of us. 2XU ÀUVW VWRS ZDV LQ 1HZSRUW 5KRGH ,VODQG ZKHUH WKH (DVW Coast wealthy have one of their playgrounds. Carolyn and Francis had signed up for a sailboat ride while I opted out of riding in a small boat in choppy water. They left around nine and returned at twelve, knocking on the door. When I opened it for them, there stood two soaked-to-the skin sailors. It had started raining while they were in the boat, and there was no cover for anyone. After they hurriedly dried off and changed clothes, we went to get lunch before our ride back to shore to take a driving tour of the EUHDWKWDNLQJ PDQVLRQV WKDW OLQHG WKH VKRUH :KHQ ZH ÀQDOO\ JRW back to shore, the tour bus had left us. We were understandably

upset, but not nearly as much as two tiny $VLDQ ZRPHQ 7KH\ OLW LQWR WKH WRXU RIĂ€FLDO in English and Chinese. We felt their statements spoke for all us left behind. Our next stop was Boston where I was really looking forward to seeing all the historical sites important to our country’s early history. We boarded the tour bus in the rain, and it zipped around the city. At one point, the bus guide said, “If you’ll look out the window on the right, you’ll see down that alley the top of the Old North Church.â€? Not what I had had in mind. Bar Harbor, Maine, was next; that day the weather was cool and beautiful, and it was a pleasant place to visit. The intrepid duo took a ride on a lobster boat while the landlubber walked up and down the street in the lovely old town. I found a bookstore to enjoy and ended up buying one of Greg Iles’s books. When the sailors reached shore this time, we went to one of the small cafes and got lobster sandwiches. The sandwiches were tasty but can’t touch /RXLVLDQD FUDZĂ€VK IRU Ă DYRU Our next stop was St. Johns, New Brunswick, Canada. The highlight of this trip was a train ride where we got to see the holdings of the richest family in the

province. These folks had started out with a sawmill, furnishing lumber for Canada and whoever else needed it. At some point they added a paper-processing plant where they made toilet tissue. The guide was quite proud of all that they had accomplished, but I was sitting in my seat thinking...I have come all this way to see a toilet paper factory. However, the train ride was pleasant, for it was an old, restored train that was used to take school children and tourists on trips around and about. Back to the ship after that excursion, we went on to Halifax, Nova Scotia. To me, it was the best stop of the entire trip. We toured from the coast inland to the farms and vineyards. We saw where the Acadians had lived who left Canada, some coming as far as our southern Louisiana bayous. The little farms were all beautifully laid out and very neat. Their tractors looked like my -RKQ 'HHUH PRZLQJ WUDFWRU QR ODUJH tractors at all like our local farmers use. Their farms were like miniatures of what we’re used to, but it was the loveliest part of the trip. We stopped at a farmers market outside of Halifax; and Carolyn bought some maSOH EXWWHU ZKLFK ZDV FRQÀVFDWHG ZKHQ ZH

returned to New York. I don’t know why, but the inspectors or whatever they were wouldn’t let her keep it, even over her protests. I suspect some of them enjoyed maple butter on their bread that night. We met people from all over the country, mostly people that seem to cruise year round. California, Arizona, Nevada, Ohio, and Indiana were just some of the states represented whose people we met. Naturally, they were all charmed with our Southern accents and our perspectives on life and politics. The accommodations were top notch; the food and service, excellent; but Carolyn and I were of the opinion that people who do this all the time must not have much of a life at home.

Columnist Alma Womack lives on Smithland Plantation on Black River, south of Jonesville, Louisiana. In addition to her duties as maitresse des maison, she is the keeper of the lawn, the lane and the pecan orchard at Smithland.

Bluffs & Bayous { October 2018 { Page 73

Page 74 { October 2018 { Bluffs & Bayous

MISTLETOE MARKETPLACE November 7-10, 2018 MISSISSIPPI TRADE MART >> JACKSON, MS

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9

PREVIEW GALA Presented by the Junior League of Jackson

A MORNING OF JAZZ & SHOPPING MARKETPLACE BRUNCH | 8-11 a.m. Presented by Regions

7-9 p.m. | Walk the Red Carpet Presented by C Spire 7-11 p.m. | Shopping Hours 7-10 p.m. | Silent & Premier Auctions 9 p.m. | Live Auction 7-10 p.m. | Present Pick Presented by Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8 A TIME TO BRUNCH & BROWSE MISTLETOE MORNING | 8-11 a.m. Presented by Trustmark

CONNECT WITH KIRK CAMERON LUNCHEON & STYLE SHOW | 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Presented by Mississippi Baptist Medical Center Fashions by Renaissance Featuring Kirk Cameron SMILES OF JOY SANTA SNAPS | 2:30-6:30 p.m. LET’S GLOW CRAZY! TWEEN FASHION SHOW | 4:30-6 p.m. Presented by University of Mississippi Medical Center

MISTLE-TEAUX A GIRLS’ NIGHT OUT | 6-8 p.m.

SOMETHING’S BREWING! A NIGHT TO LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL 8-11 p.m. Presented by Southern Beverage Co., Inc.

GENERAL SHOPPING HOURS

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10

Thursday, November 8 | 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday, November 9 | 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday, November 10 | 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

OH, WHAT FUN! A CHILDREN’S EVENT | 9:30-11 a.m. Presented by Ergon

Tickets on sale September 1, 2018. For more information or to order tickets, please visit mistletoemarketplace.com or call 1.888.324.0027.

SMILES OF JOY SANTA SNAPS | 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.

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