Nearly 500 business and governmental leaders gathered at the 38th Annual Hancock Chamber Business & Industry Awards Gala on August 25 at Hollywood Casino in Bay St. Louis.  The event recognizes exceptional residents and businesses, including the year's 10 Outstanding Citizens, one of whom is named Citizen of the Year with great surprise and fanfare.  This year, the winner was retired educator and administrator, Mryon Labat.

 Complete list of 2016 Outstanding Citizens and Businesses of the Year. 

Now retired, Myron, a former coach, teacher, principal and school administrator of the Bay-Waveland School District, is passionate about his volunteer work with CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) and the Hancock Medical Center Foundation. As president of the Foundation board for the past three years, he is an ambassador for the hospital, raising money for state of the art medical equipment to serve the health care needs of the community. 

An active member of the St. Rose de Lima Church, he spends most of his free time helping children, and promoting health and exercise through the Bay Rollers Cycling Club.  As president of the Club, he has made trips all over the region, often raising money for charity.  In the past two years alone, the group has bought 77 bikes for children. 

Labat says his volunteer work is his way of giving back.

Also receiving special recognition at the event:

• The Hancock County Tourism Development Commission selects the recipient of the Patt Cucullu Tourism Industry Person of the Year sponsored by the Chamber.    This year, John Ferrucci of the Silver Slipper Casino & Hotel was recognized with the major contributions he has made to enhance the tourism industry.

• The Hancock County Port & Harbor Commission presented the prestigious Annual Industrial Award of Excellence to three commands representing the Naval Special Warfare (NSW) at Stennis Space Center.  Accepting the award for NAVSCIATTS (Naval Small Craft Instruction and Technical Training School) was Lieutenant Commander Kerry Jackson.   Lieutenant Commander Chad Kalocinski was presented the award on behalf of Special Boat Team 22;  and, Mike Rushing received the award for NSW Group Four Training Detachment South.

• This year, the Chamber also presented the Krewe of Nereids with the coveted Community Award of Excellence.  Nereids is the oldest all-female carnival association on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, established 50 years ago by women business leaders in Waveland. ​

The Hancock Medical Center Foundation will honor retired bank executive Charley E. “Dusty” Rhodes at its 20th Annual Moonlight on the Bay Gala, Friday, Sept. 23, in the ballroom at Hollywood Casino.

A native of Bay St. Louis, Rhodes graduated from St. Stanislaus in 1964 where he played baseball and football. He attended Pearl River Community College and graduated with a degree in Business Administration from USM.  He recently retired after a 45-year banking career on the coast. Rhodes  served 27 years on the Hancock Medical Board of Trustees.  In 2009, he was named a Hancock Chamber Outstanding Citizen. A devoted family man, Rhodes and his wife of 47 years Mimi have three children – sons Rocky, Brandon and Jeffery and five grandchildren. 

The Moonlight on the Bay gala is hosted by the Hancock Medical Center Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization that raises funds to assist the hospital with services like mammography assistance and for the purchase of equipment and technology. For full details, click here. To reserve seats or to donate a silent auction item, call Foundation Development Director Tom Carlton at 228-467-8790.

At a recessed meeting on August 25, Mayor Fillingame recommended that  the city council accept Trent Favre as the new city attorney, which they did in a unanimous vote.  Favre is a member of Gulfport's Jones-Walker firm.  

The council had had time to review Favre's qualifications before the meeting and there was no discussion.  Ward 4 Councilman Bobby Compretta made to motion to accept and Ward 3 Councilman Jeffrey Reed seconded.  Councilmen Mike Favre  and Joey Boudin voted to accept (Seal, McDonald and Falgout were absent).  

The meeting was streamed live over Facebook, where comments seemed as unanimous as the the vote.  "Awesome choice!" and "Wonderful pick!" seemed the order of the day.  

According to Jones-Walker firm's website: 

Trent Favre is a member of the firm's Business & Commercial Litigation Practice Group and practices from the firm's Gulfport office. He has experience in healthcare law, governmental law, and commercial litigation and works with state and county organizations, including state-funded medical centers, E-911 agencies, and economic and land development agencies. Mr. Favre has experience litigating disputes for engineering firms, contractors, real estate developers, insurance companies, and mortgage lenders.

To read more about Trent Favre's experience, click here. 

WLOX videographer/video producer Corey Hudson apparently came to Frida Fest with a vision in mind.  The resulting video captures the spirit of the event and a hilarious  improv by the first and second place winners of the contest.  Thanks, Corey!  

The video wouldn't embed at a larger size, so click on the image below to watch it on the WLOX website.  

Old town resident Greg Matusoff laughed when he told The Shoofly that he sustained only minor injuries during a cat rescue on July 26th.  A member of the New Orleans Fire Department, Matusoff was part of the team extinguishing a fire on Magazine Street in New Orleans, when he saved the feline - who was understandably traumatized and had sharp claws.   Times-Picayune photographer Brett Duke caught the happy ending. 

The home of Matusoff and his partner Kristie Buddenbaum was featured in the July 2016 issue of the Shoofly, in the "At Home in the Bay" column.

The MS Urban Forest Council awarded the city of Bay St. Louis the 2016 Scenic Community of Mississippi at their state conference held July 28th in Gulfport.  The city's dedicated efforts at beautification and improving its urban forest garnered it the 2015 Green Mayor Award.  

Excerpt:
“A lot of artists have been through some sort of struggle and they identify with the people here,” says Martha Whitney, who runs the French Potager floral/bridal shop in Bay St. Louis. 

“The blues began here,” says the missionary-turned-restaurateur [Fillhart]... “To me, it was a broken community that rebuilt itself with the treasure it always had: art and music.”
 
The article also contains a photograph of Bay St. Louis’s Beach Blvd during Cruisin' the Coast by the Shoofly's publisher, Ellis Anderson.

Read the entire article, by Matt Meltzer, here.

Owner/broker of Coast Time Realty (a Shoofly Sponsor) and former president of the Arts Hancock County, Cynthia Mahner has been named one of the Ten Outstanding Citizens for 2016 by the Hancock Chamber.  She was cited for her work raising awareness and enthusiasm around the arts and programs in Hancock County like the Tarts and Tramps Fundraising Ball and the Arts Alive! studio tour.
 
The Hancock Chamber Annual Awards Gala recognizes outstanding achievements in citizenship, tourism, industry and business each year.  Click here to see the complete list of Outstanding Citizens and here to see the Businesses of the Year. 

Online Coast food site Eat MS Coast has given props to Vivian and Al “the bread man” Jensen for their Bay St. Louis bakery Serious Bread, which uses locally sourced ingredients and traditional techniques to make amazing examples of all things bready. You better believe we knew all about Serious Bread already, but we’re glad for the Jensens more people know now!

The Arts Hancock County featured photographer Mike Ramsey for being selected for exhibitions in Portland, OR, Greenville, SC, Baton Rouge, LA, Covington, and New Orleans. Ramsey retired from the Times-Picayune after having been in print journalism in Pennsylvania, Louisiana and Mississippi since 1972, and now lives in Bay St. Louis.

See Ramsey’s work here.

Bay St. Louis resident Herb Willey was one of only 74 artists from around the world selected for the Louisiana Watercolor Society's 46th annual international exhibit at was held May 7-21 at thePlace St. Charles in New Orleans.

The painting selected is titled "3 Fishermen at Bayou Caddy."  Willey was the only Mississippi artist to be juried into the show.  

Wiley's work can be seen at Gallery 220, 220 Main Street in Old Town Bay St. Louis.  

The Mississippi State Senior Olympics games were held April 9 - May 21 on the coast (most events taking place in Gulfport/Biloxi area).  Waveland resident John Impson ran the 50, 100 and 200 meter sprints on May 21st, coming in first and winning gold in each of the three events. He also broke 16 seconds in the 100 meter with a time of 15.99. In qualifying meets like this one, a camera is used to record precise times.

Impson runs in the men's 75-79 age group, while his running partner, Inez Kelleher, runs the same events, but in the women's 60-64 age group. She also placed first in each event. They both qualified to represent MS in the 2017 National Senior Olympics which will be in Birmingham next year. Kudos to both!  

Lazy Magnolia Brewery caught the eye of tech writer Rick Limpert, of the national webzine, Examiner.com. Limpert notes:

Thanks to the technology in place in their facility Lazy Magnolia beers are available in standard 5.16-US-gallon (19.5 L) and 15.5-US-gallon (59 L) stainless steel kegs. Many craft breweries only have one way of packaging their brews, but "Lazy" has multiple of options of getting their beer to beer lovers. Technology is also used in the "quality control" process at Lazy Magnolia to make beer that is available in big markets like Atlanta, Dallas and Houston.

To read the entire article, click here. 

A new - and somewhat mysterious - organization in Bay St. Louis, the Committee In Charge of Awesomeness (C.I.C.O.A) posted signage in the fronts of several local businesses and artists in the last week of April, including The Mockingbird Café, Bay Life Gifts, artists Sandy Maggio, Kerr Grabowski and Dale Pohl and the BSL 4th Ward Cleaver. Sign recipients were later emailed a letter that read:

"Congratulations on being awarded MOST AWESOME by the Committee in Charge of Awesome... Thank you for all that you do for BSL and the Creative Economy."

According to the CICOA Facebook page, the group is a place "where we talk about things that could, would or should be awesome."

We'll take that!  Thank you, CICOA, whoever you are! 

Updated 4/13:  The Rochelle Harper Band was scheduled to rock Central Park in New York City on June 11 at an event billed as the 37th Annual Mississippi Picnic.  Hosted by The New York Mississippi Society, the 2016 theme was to be “Nothing but the Blues,” a tribute to Mississippi’s own B.B. King. 

More than 5,000 people were expected to attend the celebration, which would have showcased blues performers from Mississippi. The Rochelle Harper Band from Bay St. Louis was scheduled to bring their special brand of "Mississippi musical mayhem" to the event.

However, organizers canceled the event on April 12, citing the controversy surrounding Mississippi's HB 1523, which was signed into law last week.  In a statement released to the press, organizers stated that "for almost four decades, the Mississippi Picnic in Central Park has consistently celebrated the best of Mississippi, without regard to race, religion, or gender orientation.

We took pride in sharing our rich heritage and diversity with the rest of the world through these annual gatherings. Any law such as HB 1523 that discriminates against even a single member of our community cannot be tolerated, and therefore we have decided to stand up for all Mississippians by canceling the 2016 picnic in the park."

"We understand why the event was canceled.  It's really disturbing," said Harper in a phone interview on April 13.  "But how does that help if I'm not in New York singing ‘Universal Love?’  I'm saddened that we and the other Mississippi artists don't get to deliver this message."

Rochelle's husband and lead guitarist Gary Bowell wondered how the state legislators who voted for the law are feeling the impact professionally.  "Are those cats not getting their paychecks?"  he asked.  "Are they not able to go to work?"

"We're all people.  There's no reason to discriminate.  It's the Golden Rule," said Harper.  "That's a message Mississippi artists need to keep delivering.  I'd like to see a concert right here in Bay St. Louis where musicians come together to protest the bill and use music to help bring people together instead of divide them."

To read more about local grassroots efforts to protest the bill, click here. 

On March 4th, the website "Only In Your State" published an article featuringten Mississippi B&Bs for the perfect getaway.  The Carroll House B&B, owned by Jane Alford, is located in Bay St. Louis's Historic District.  It garnered the recognition as one of the editors' ten picks — quite the feat considering Mississippi's reputation for hospitality. 

"Located in the heart of Bay St. Louis, guests of the Carroll House are mere minutes from charming antique shops, art galleries, fine dining, and coffee shops. The seaside bed and breakfast also offers access to the Gulf of Mexico and the amazing views that come along with it, which can be enjoyed from the private porches that complement the guest rooms."

On Saturday, March 19th, a group of cyclists from the Bay were in Alabama following their personal fitness goals, enjoying a weekend of camaraderie, and touching on a bit of history.
A half-dozen of the Bay Rollers made the trip: Myron Labat, Bill McIntyre, Nat Fairconnetue, Bruce Northridge, Byron Curry, and Craig Saucier. 

The group traced the history-making, 52-mile route on which Civil Rights activists marched from Selma to Montgomery over five days in March, 1965. The Bay Rollers' challenge was to ride their bikes along the historic route and back again for a total of 104 miles. 

Leading the pack was the group’s senior member (and most experienced cyclist), Bill McIntyre. Finishing right along with him was Bay Rollers founder Myron Labat, who is said to train the hardest.  And coming in in under 8 hours and finishing his first-ever century ride was Bruce Northridge, who joined the group just a year ago. It was a true team effort, with three of the members providing invaluable support for the three members who completed the ride.  Watch for the Bay Rollers in their bright yellow shirts as they ride around Bay St. Louis!

Lazy Magnolia Brewery, located in Kiln, was recently named one of the top ten breweries in the South by Culture Trip, a website that showcases the best of art, food and culture from around the globe.  Read the whole article here. 

In a letter to Gray announcing the honor, Elbert Hilliard, Secretary-Treasurer for the statewide organization, commends Gray for his outstanding lifelong contributions to state history. The award itself is named for Dr. Dunbar Rowland, the first director of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and long-time secretary of the Mississippi Historical Society.
 
Gray moved to Bay St. Louis in 1985, becoming the seventh member of the Hancock County Historical Society, helping build it into an organization that maintains one of the most extensive online collections of local historical information in the country. 
 
Read more about Charles Gray’s extraordinary contributions in this November 2014 Cleaver feature. 

Author and veteran syndicated columnist Rheta Grimsley Johnson now has another bright feather in her literary cap:  playwright.   Johnson and John M. Williams co-wrote “Hiram:  Becoming Hank William,” a musical which had its world premier on February 26 in Alabama, the music legend’s home state.  
 
The opening night was a sell-out at the Pell City Center for Education and the Performing Arts (CEPA), with more than 400 people attending.  Among them was Jett Willams, the daughter of Hank, who wrote one of the songs for the musical. 

According to the CEPA website the play-writing team wanted to “explore the musical and life influences that ‘made Hank's music immortal,’ territory they felt was eclipsed by all that's been written about Williams' dramatic death.

"The play centers on Hank Williams' younger life as Hiram, growing up in Alabama and… the influences on his real-life character and his genius.  Williams was influenced by the church music of his childhood, the blues of a street singer called Tee-Tot and the "hillbilly" songs he heard on the radio. When Hiram decided he'd make his living by singing, he donned a cowboy hat, renamed himself ‘Hank’ and the rest is history.”

In addition to the world premier on Friday, two additional performances drew enthused crowds.  The play was directed by Kathy McCoy, director of the Pell City Players.
 
“We could not have asked for a better play,” said McCoy in a phone interview with the Cleaver this week.  “It took on a life of its own… the people were wild.  Clapping and singing along with the old-timey songs in the play.  Let me tell you, Hank was in the house.”

McCoy noted the audience gave standing ovations for all performances, attributing much of the play’s success to writers John Williams (no relation to Hank) and Johnson.

“Rheta has a great passion for Southerners.  She knows the South and she loves it.  She just gets it.  Plus, she’s a lot of fun.”
 
Johnson, a past Pulitzer Prize nominee, lives part of the year in Pass Christian.  She has published seven books, and her 40 year career as a newspaper columnist has made her one of the most well-known writers in the South.  Pass Books will be hosting the national launch of her latest book, "The Dogs Buried Across the Bridge,” on April 5th.  Click here for a review of the book and full event details.  Johnson also writes the “Across the Bridge” column for the Fourth Ward Cleaver.

Two teachers with the Bay St. Louis-Waveland School District were recently named teachers of the month by the Rotary Club of Bay St. Louis.
 
Bay High's Tarah Herbert was honored as January's Teacher of the Month, and Gina Pepperman with Bay Waveland Middle was chosen for February.  Herbert teaches Digital Media Technology and Graphic Design courses at the high school level and was recently named the district's Teacher of the Year. Pepperman taught social studies for many years at Bay Middle and now teachers computer courses and is the technology chair.
 
Rotary selects a Teacher of the Month from a local school based on their commitment to excellence in education and dedication to engaging students and encouraging high performance. From the monthly honorees, the Rotary Club will select a Teacher of the Year in late spring of 2016.

Bay St. Louis, MS – Seven Bay High art students were recognized for their creative work during the 2016 Scholastic Art & Writing Program. Chosen from over 1800 entries statewide, four of those students were awarded top awards, including prestigious regional awards.
 
Bay High sophomore Grace Powell's “It's been one of those days” was named a Regional Gold Key Winner for Oil Painting.  Silver Key Winner was Alyssa D'Bonaventura, whose painting “Dreamer” took a top award in the painting category.
 
Bay High also had two Honorable Mention Winners for Photography – Marion Pohl and Landon Brady. Fro Participation in Painting, senior Abbey Riley was recognized for “Confounded”; Participation in Photography, Damian Crawford for “Simplicity”; and Participation for Painting, Jaime Hirstius for “Jelly Reef”.
 
Gold and Silver Key Winners art will be on display in the Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackon through March 13.  Currently, their work is being considered for national recognition. National medalists will be announced on March 14 and will be exhibited in Carnegie Hall in New York City.
 
The students were recognized at this month's school board meeting, along with their art teachers Lauren Bernard and Tarah Herbert.
 
“We celebrate our amazingly talented students,” said Dr. Rebecca Ladner, Superintendent of the Bay St. Louis-Waveland School District. “In our district, we feel that art is an important component in education – a means for expression, growth and creative thinking. We live in an arts community and strive to encourage the appreciation of the arts at each grade level for our students.”
 
Since 1923, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have recognized and encouraged artistic talent in all areas of creativity – from fine art and poetry, to filmmaking and video game graphics. Thousands of teens in grades 7 through 12 apply annually in 29 different categories of art and writing, leading some to scholarships and careers in the arts.

 “If you are absolutely determined to make a lawyer of yourself,” Abraham Lincoln once said, “the thing is more than half done already.” It's this kind of determination that local attorney Brehm Bell is hoping to encourage by offering a new scholarship to a Hancock County, MS graduating senior.
 
The Brehm Bell Future Lawyers Scholarship is a $1000 one-time award to a high school senior who is planning on pursuing a law degree. Both public and private high school seniors are asked to submit applications no later than April 1, 2016.
 
A practicing attorney in downtown Bay St. Louis since 1995, Bell focuses his practice on personal injury cases and helping people who are overwhelmed or frustrated with the legal process. “Our legal system and insurance processes are hard for people to navigate sometimes,” said Bell. “We need bright, compassionate minds to enter the field of law to continue helping people have a voice.”
 
Bell put himself through college, working as a deckhand on tugboats in order to pay for his education at the University of Southern Mississippi followed by University of Mississippi's Law School. He graduated in 1989 and began work as an attorney in Meridian. After five years, he decided to move his family back home to Hancock County and build his personal injury practice here.
 
“The practice of law is a noble profession that allows you make a living helping people in their search for justice,” said Bell. “It is my hope that these funds will assist a young person in their dream to make this world a better place."
 
To be considered, seniors should obtain an application from their school counselor – the form has been provided to Bay High, Hancock High, St. Stanislas and Our Lady Academy for distribution. Or applicants may pick up a form at Bell's office, located at 544 Main Street in Bay St. Louis. A minimum GPA of 3.0, a letter of recommendation from a faculty member and a brief 200-word essay are required. 
 
Please submit application in full by the April 1, 2016 deadline by emailing vicki@brehmbell.com or by mailing to:
Brehm Bell
544 Main Street
Bay St. Louis, MS 39520

Director’s Choice is chosen by the pageant director and given to the contestant who embodies the spirit of the pageant, is most enthusiastic, and turned in all documents on time.  Top Ad Sales is given to the contestant who sells the most ads for the online pageant program.

The Mrs. Mississippi Pageant focuses on the beauty and accomplishments of married women. Pageant judges look for contestants who are not only beautiful, but articulate, and well rounded. Whether her days are focused on family, career, civic duties, or a combination of all, the new Mrs. Mississippi is the most beautiful and best representative of the married woman of today.

“A sweet, beautiful lady from Tupelo, Ashley Buse, won the crown this year,” stated Dorris. “She is stunning and worked hard for the title. All of the winners deserved their titles. It was a pleasure getting to know each of the contestants. I’m honored to have been part of this wonderful group of women.”

Mrs. Mississippi 2016, Ashley Buse, will continue on to compete in the Mrs. America Pageant this Fall in Los Vegas.

Learn more about Jaimee and what’s next at www.jaimeedorris.com.