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A day-trip to this venerable neighborhood reveals that its most interesting facets aren’t the most obvious.
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- story by Dena Temple, photos by Ellis Anderson

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I set out early and headed west from the coast on I-10, sun at my back. It was a beautiful summer morning, early enough for the sun and the mercury to be low. One of the appeals of life on the Mississippi coast is its close proximity to New Orleans. From my home in Waveland to the French Quarter, it’s an easy one-hour drive.
 
Before long I crossed Lake Ponchartrain on the Frank Davis “Naturally N’Awlins” Bridge. It is named after locally beloved WWL radio and TV personality known for his fishing and cooking stories, and I’m touched by the tribute. Highways and bridges in the North are usually named for politicians, not local celebrities, and I like the difference in attitude.

 
I arrived at 7:30 am and parked at Solaris Parking Garage (721 Iberville St.). Just one block off Canal Street that is one of the French Quarter’s boundaries, the garage is easy to find. Monday through Thursday, if you park before 9am and leave before 7 pm, they offer a very affordable early-bird rate of $8. Even with a full French Quarter itinerary, that allows plenty of time for a cocktail or early dinner before heading home to the coast. (An early bird special is also offered at Canal Place)
 
After parking, I strolled down Iberville toward the Mississippi River turned left on Chartres. My three must-haves for this adventure were bottled water (because it was already 85 degrees at 8 a.m., a headband (because the humidity is 85 percent), and comfy shoes. The numbers are a little misleading; in the early morning, the buildings provide quite a bit of shade.
 
Not many people were around this early, so I could easily see the buildings and businesses as I walked along: K-Paul, SoBou, the Omni Royal Orleans Hotel. As I passed, I made a mental note to investigate the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum (514 Chartres St., (504) 565-8027); the cool bottles and paraphernalia in the window of this circa-1823 apothecary are quite intriguing.

​After passing through Jackson Square (more on that later), I met up with Ellis at her Chartres Street walk-up, in a building constructed nearly 200 years ago.
​

 
Our first stop was Croissant D’Or Patisserie (617 Ursulines St.) for a quick breakfast before our walking tour of the French Quarter. The building formerly housed Angelo Brocato’s popular ice cream parlor, which operated in the French Quarter 1905 until it relocated to 214 N. Carrollton Ave. in 1981.
 
Gleaming white subway-tiled walls from the ice cream parlor still remain, along with Victorian mosaic tile floors and cheery French borders that remind one of wedding cake frosting. The bakery is famous for its baguettes and buttery croissants, and it features a display case full of tempting treats, sandwiches and tarts. We found a particularly inviting table in the front window for coffee and people-watching and split a satisfying quiche, finishing just as our tour guide arrived.

​Glennis Waterman, a writer who originally hails from California, volunteers as a tour guide with Friends of the Cabildo, an independent nonprofit that works with the Louisiana State Museum. Tour guides receive over 100 hours of training on the history of the French Quarter as well as training on presentation techniques. Candidates must pass written testing and a one-on-one evaluation in order to become licensed tour guides.
 
In exchange for this free training, guides are asked to commit to two years of volunteer service for FOC and lead tours an average of once or twice per month. Normally, the Cabildo walking tours start at the 1850 House on Jackson Square and last around two hours. Tour guides are encouraged to develop their own routes, so no two tours are exactly alike.
 
Glennis, a licensed guide and a friend of Ellis’s, had agreed to accommodate our breakfast plans and start our tour at Croissant D’Or. She’d be with us all morning, a wonderful indulgence for our French Quarter history day. Glennis met us at the café wearing gold-sequined sneakers and a fedora that complements her short hair. Her smile and enthusiasm were contagious as she gave us a brief orientation of what we’d be seeing.

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It was soon clear that every building has a layered and well-documented history of owners and businesses, each with amusing anecdotes and interesting facts. We passed buildings that were formerly theaters, ballrooms, shops and pubs. Sometimes, there were even stories for places where no buildings at all stand. Like any cityscape, the French Quarter constantly changes, and today’s vacant lots were yesterday’s warehouses – or in some cases, strip clubs.
 
For example, a garden at the corner of Ursuline and Royal was the location of the Gaiety Theater, opened in 1927. The theater went through several incarnations: vaudeville house, Italian-language theater, burlesque house, and finally a porn theater. After a campaign orchestrated by the neighbors, the old Gaiety Theater was torn down in 1972 and today serves as the private garden to an adjoining home.
 
Glennis walked us back toward the river to Chartres Street. It’s actually pronounced “char-ter.” Despite the neighborhood’s name, proper French pronunciations have often been thrown to the wind over the years - like many other conventions in this place.

 
At the intersection of Chartres and Ursulines Street stands the Old Ursuline Convent. It was built in 1745 to house Ursuline nuns, who worked as nurses. The imposing edifice is the oldest surviving building in the Mississippi River Valley. It’s now operated as a museum. A walk through their beautiful boxwood gardens is free.

Just across the street is the beautiful 1826 Beauregard-Keyes House. Glennis related information about the notable owners it’s named after - Confederate General Pierre Gustave Beauregard and author Frances Parkinson Keyes. But the highlight was a scandalous tale involving another owner, Corrado Giacona, a wholesale liquor merchant.

 
Corrado and his father Pietro were part of the first wave of Sicilian immigrants to take up residence in the French Quarter. The second wave brought poorer Sicilians, as well as the “Black Hand,” a group of Sicilian thugs who extorted money from local business owners with threats of personal harm or destruction of the business.
 
As was the case with many businesses in “Little Palermo,” as the French Quarter was nicknamed at the time, the mob extorted protection money from the Giaconas. One evening, during a heated exchange in the home, three of the mobsters were fatally shot, and a fourth was wounded and fled. He was later found hiding in a nearby henhouse, clutching a chicken to his chest to slow the bleeding. Corrado and his father were arrested for the shootings. At trial, they were found innocent and became heroes of the Sicilian community.
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In later years, the house fell into disrepair as subsequent owners failed to do much-needed maintenance. Frances Parkinson Keyes, author of such works as “Dinner at Antoine’s” and “All That Glitters,” purchased the house in 1945 and undertook extensive renovations. She also established a nonprofit foundation to maintain the home as a museum after her death, which operates to this day.

 
As our walking tour continued, Glennis spoke a bit about the first settlers in the region, largely French orphans, deported galley slaves, trappers, smugglers, prisoners and other riffraff. With the freedom to establish new identities in a new land, these citizens of questionable repute developed a faux aristocracy, and much of their time was largely spent drinking, dancing and gambling.
 
When Spain gained control of the region in 1763, they attempted to rein in the colonists and did quite a bit to improve their lives - including paving the streets, installing street lights, and enacting better laws governing the emancipation of slaves. Louisiana became home to the largest population of free people of color in the nation.

 
Before long we entered the famous Jackson Square, with the beautiful St. Louis Cathedral and the two buildings that flank it, the Cabildo (ca. 1795) and the Presbytère (ca. 1847). The Cabildo once served as City Hall, today it is a museum. The Presbytère, built to match the Cabildo, was originally built as housing for Roman Catholic priests and operates as a museum today.

As the sun moved higher in the sky it became harder to find shade, so we slipped quietly into the cool, reverent dimness of St. Louis Cathedral. Beautiful frescoes adorned the ceiling, and the interior was tinted by sunlight through stained glass. Our quiet appreciation extended to the air conditioning here, too, which offered a break from the August heat.
 

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​As we left, we spotted the beautiful white marble statue of Pope John Paul II outside the cathedral. Created by Franco Allesandrini to commemorate the Pope’s visit to New Orleans in 1987, the heartwarming statue showing the Pope with two small children was dedicated last year for the city’s Tricentennial celebration.

Flanking the sides of Jackson Square are two identical four-story brick buildings known as the Pontalba Buildings, built in the 1840s. Each building was originally divided into 16 row houses and two-story, single-family units, but most have since been converted into smaller apartments.

 The Louisiana State Museum owns and operates the 1850 House Museum in the Pontalba, featuring a restored row house as it would have appeared in the mid-19th Century. A self-guided tour leads visitors from the ground floor, where servants prepared the family meals, to the second floor living areas, to the third floor sleeping quarters. While viewing several of the rooms, recordings of “virtual conversations” play to give visitors an idea of what life might have been like for the residents in 1850.

 
Our walking tour continued as we ventured down Pirate Alley, between the cathedral and the Cabildo, where the infamous pirate Jean Lafitte was said to have handled his nefarious business. As we strolled down St. Peter Street toward Bourbon, Glennis discussed the history of Preservation Hall (726 St. Peter Street), headquarters of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, which started life as an art gallery and was converted to a full-time jazz club in 1961.
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 By then it was nearly noon, and time for lunch. We ducked into the Historic New Orleans Collection’s new complex at 520 Royal Street.  The historic house fronting Royal Street is the Seignouret-Brulatour Building. To the rear of the property is a brand-new, ultra-modern gallery space, called the Tricentennial Wing.

The courtyard is a peaceful, serene escape from the bustle of the streets. A small door tucked away on the right was adorned with a small sign, “Café Cour.” The only hint at the pleasure that awaited us beyond the sign was a steady stream of people with bags of take-out. A café within a museum complex was the perfect lunch destination.

 
Café Cour’s menu features baked goods, creative salads, Muffulettu (handcrafted sandwiches on round Sicilian sesame bread), bocadillos and mouth-watering daily specials. We each chose a different menu item: Goi Ga, a Vietnamese chicken salad; Del la Cour, a salad of mixed greens with picked beets, pecorino and cayenne pecans; and Tortilla Española, a bocadillo with manchego, grated tomato and pepper aioli.
 
While we waited we chatted with Voice Monet, who has served as general manager of the eatery since its opening in April. She called the restaurant’s concept “heritage foods” – built on cooking styles and ingredients pulled from many different cultures, but sourced locally to provide the best nutrition, sustainably. All their baked goods are made either in-house or at their parent restaurant, Carmo.
 
After our satisfying meal, we said our goodbyes to Glennis, who had been a wonderful, animated guide for our morning adventure. 
​

 
Our hunger sated and our feet rested, it was time to explore the complex. We started in the new building, called the Tricentennial Wing, completed and opened just months ago. The museum is offering an exhibition through October 6 in this building titled, “Art of the City: Postmodern to Post-Katrina.”
 
This wide-ranging and moving exhibition, guest curated by Jan Gilbert, looks at contemporary postmodern art (1984-present) by both local and visiting artists - as well as talented newcomers. While Katrina is a subject that finds its imprint on some of the works, there is a broader sense of the hope and even whimsy of New Orleans captured as well.

Some pieces are thought-provoking, some sad, some silly and some joyful – the exhibit is true melting pot of messages, just like the city itself. We were delighted to see the inclusion of a piece (“Red Screen,” a three-panel screen of cranberry glass and metal) by New Orleans - and now Waveland - artist Mitchell Gaudet. Gaudet and his wife, sculptor Erica Larkin Gaudet, opened Studio Waveland on the coast in 2018, infusing the Bay-Waveland area with fresh vibrancy.
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​ 
THNOC offers several guided tours throughout the day (register for them here). We were met by Kurt Owens as we left the exhibition. He’s been a museum interpreter for The Historic New Orleans Collection since 2013. Our first stop was just across the courtyard, the Seignouret-Brulatour Building, built by François Seignouret in 1816. Today it serves as a home for the museum’s permanent collection upstairs. On the street level, a welcome center and tempting gift shop flank the central arched entryway.
 
Kurt pointed out a number of interesting architectural features in the building, including a solid cypress staircase and a 700-pipe, 65,000-piece organ installed by previous owner Pierre Brulatour, a wine importer. The building had also been used as an art school and as studio space for WDSU-TV from 1950 to 1997.

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We were also joined by museum interpreter Malinda Blevins, whose enthusiasm matched Kurt’s in sharing the story of these marvelous buildings. We made our way across the street to a warren of buildings that were the original home Historic New Orleans Collection.

​Merieult House, the main front building, was built in 1792 by Jean Francois Merieult, a merchant and trader. The Spanish colonial house was remodeled in the 1830s by the Lizardi Brothers, Cuban merchants and bankers, and it looks much the same today as it did in 1830.
 
Bordering the main courtyard, the Counting House is so named for the banking activities of the Lizardi Brothers. A grand Greek revival room features opulent furnishings and oil paintings of many of the home’s previous residents.

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Next we visited one of the main attractions of the Historic New Orleans Collection, the Williams Residence. The house is named for Kemper and Leila Williams, who owned the home from 1945 to 1964. The two-story Italianate brick townhouse, originally built in 1889, was lovingly restored by the Williamses. After the death of Kemper Williams in 1971, the house was willed to the Historic New Orleans Collection, which they founded.

​ The museum shows the home with their 1950s decor just as it was when they lived there. Mrs. Williams meticulously decorated the home based on Edith Wharton’s book, “The Decoration of Houses.” The rooms are monochromatic, as per the book’s direction, and no two lamps are alike.
 
Mrs. Williams also had a love of stacking tables (there is a set in every room), and a love of china, of which she owned many sets (several are on display in the house, the rest are in storage). Malinda related an anecdote about the couple’s Dachshunds; the pair, which slept in the stall shower in the master bath, were punished when they misbehaved by being locked in the elevator!
 
At the end of the tour, we say our goodbyes to Kurt and Malinda. We so enjoyed our time with them – their knowledge enriched our tour of the properties of The Historic New Orleans Collection, making it a memorable afternoon.

The Napoleon House was the perfect place to end a day of French Quarter history. We walked through the doors into another era. The grand bar, the chipped plaster walls, tile floors and classical music embraced us as we entered.
 
According to the restaurant’s website, “The building's first occupant, Nicholas Girod, was mayor of New Orleans from 1812 to 1815. He offered his residence to Napoleon in 1821 as a refuge during his exile. Napoleon never made it, but the name stuck, and since then, the Napoleon House has become one of the most famous bars in America, a haunt for artists and writers throughout most of the 20th century.”
 
The Impastato family, who ran the Napoleon House for almost a century, sold it to restaurateur Ralph Brennan in 2015. Brennan became an instant city hero when he announced he wasn’t making changes.
 
The restaurant is well known for its Italian Muffuletta, and equally famous for the Pimms Cup, a gin cocktail invented here in the 1940s and still very popular today. Containing lemonade, 7-Up and a cucumber garnish, it sounded too refreshing to pass up. I can attest that it was the perfect cocktail after a day of traveling back in time.

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Rather than stay for dinner, I opted to head back to the coast before the rush-hour traffic caught up with me. I walked the few blocks back to the Solaris parking garage, waved farewell to the French Quarter, and headed east.
 
As a relatively new resident of the South, spending a day learning about the evolution of the oldest neighborhood in New Orleans was one of the most interesting days I’ve had since relocating to the Gulf Coast. I promised myself that this would be the first of many day-trips exploring this fascinating city, where the most interesting attractions aren’t necessarily the most obvious.
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We invite you to check out The Shoofly Magazine's new sister publication, French Quarter Journal!  You can also subscribe to the FQJ weekly newsletter with our latest stories.  

Internationally revered piano genius James Booker spent time growing up in Bay St. Louis.  Writer Edward Gibson traces some of those early years and explains why the Bay was always a touchstone for the legend who died too young. 

It is unclear whether these lines are an anthem to inspire the East Germans or a confession. He turns then to Aretha Franklin’s “People Get Ready.” “I’m free at last,” he sings before he transforms Franklin’s theme into a blues riff in the high register before turning it again, now into ragtime, and then back again to Aretha’s song of freedom.
 

The politics could not have been lost on the men in gray uniforms, not only the message of freedom but the exuberant expression of it. But before he could be dragged off to the Runde Eckei for interrogation, he turned 180 degrees to Chopin, a deft and exact rendition of the “Minute Waltz,” and then turns again to a left-handed boogie before closing the show with “Malengua de la Lousiana,” a Fess inspired flamenco, a melodic and rhythmic largesse packaged into three minutes and four seconds.
 
James Booker was (and is) a mystery to all, to his friends and family and to other musicians, and so it may be presumptuous to say that side B of the live recording in Leipzig, entitled “Sic Transit Gloria Mundi” (AMIGA) captures not only Booker’s talent but the frenetic and troubled man behind the keys.
 
All agree that James Carroll Booker was a complex character, a true musical genius, tormented and defeated by his own worst tendencies. Yet James Booker played with a speed, imagination, and touch that has left such masters as Arthur Rubinstein, George Winston and Harry Connick Jr. in silent awe.
 

​Born in 1939 at Charity Hospital to J.H. Booker and Ora Champagne, James Carroll Booker III grew up between New Orleans and Bay St. Louis. His father was a reverend and professional dancer from Bryan, Texas. His mother was a Creole, and several years younger than J.H. Booker.
 
J.C., as family called him, moved at age two to 126 Ballentine Street in Bay St. Louis, the home of his aunt, Bessie Lizana. Betty Jean Booker, his older sister by six years, joined him two years later when the Rev. Booker suffered a stroke.
 
It was on Ballentine that Booker’s musical talent flourished. Bessie Lizana and her husband, Bernard, enjoyed a relatively prosperous life. Among their few luxuries, an upright piano occupied a corner of the large main room. He received instruction from Ms. Natalie Piernas and attended the St. Rose de Lima School.
 
In elementary school when other children played bells, triangles and woodblocks, Booker played piano. He mastered it by age seven. He received a saxophone as a gift and mastered that as well. According to Ms. Lizana, Booker enjoyed his life near the Gulf. In addition to learning piano and saxophone, he crabbed and fished with a Mr. Prowell, the husband of Lizana’s employer.

​ 
It is not clear how long Booker stayed in the Bay. Booker himself accounts being struck by an ambulance at age nine in about 1948. Documentary filmmaker Lily Keber places the accident in New Orleans, on Dauphine Street. According to Kent Taylor, J.C. Booker and Betty Jean moved to New Orleans with his mother and lived at his aunt Eva Sylvester’s home at 2511½ Third Street in Uptown, across from Shakespeare Park and around the corner from the famed Dew Drop Inn. Booker attended Xavier Prep and met fellow Orleanians and contemporaries Art and Charles Neville, as well as Allen Toussaint.
 
Betty Jean began to sing gospel at WMRY and introduced J.C. to the station’s producers. In short order he formed Booker Boy and the Rhythmaires. The radio shows caught the attention of Dave Bartholomew, and in 1954, at age 15, Booker cut his first single for Imperial Records, “Doin’ the Hambone” / “Thinkin’ ‘Bout my Baby.”
 

 
Before the end of his senior year at Xavier, Booker took to the road. He toured with popular artists like Joe Tex and Earl King. Booker found work making the most of his own sound but he also imitated the styles of other piano greats.

​He so impressed producer Johnny Vincent, of Ace Records in Jackson, Miss., that Vincent hired Booker to tour as Huey “Piano” Smith. Huey Smith did not like touring, so Booker toured in his place, not in support of Smith, but actually appearing on the bill as Huey “Piano” Smith.
 
A busted tour with Dee Clark (“Nobody but You”) found Booker down and out in Houston, Tex., but he soon impressed the producers at Duke/Peacock Records. Soon he backed Peacock’s clients, acts such as Junior Parker (“Next Time You See Me”) and Bobby “Blue” Bland (“Farther on up the Road”).
 
In 1962, Booker scored his only top ten hit, “Gonzo,” on the Peacock label. Throughout the 1960s Booker recorded and/or toured with Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, Freddie King, Wilson Pickett and others. In 1968, at the request of David Bartholomew, Booker recorded all of the piano tracks for the Fats Domino record “Fats is Back (Reprise).” Domino, a tireless touring musician, was too busy to return to New Orleans to record. The record includes two of Booker’s best originals, “My Old Friends” and “So Swell When You’re Well.”
 

 
In 1967, at the height of his touring and recording career, Booker lost both his mother, Ora Champagne, and his sister, Betty Jean. According to Charles Neville, the loss of his family exacerbated Booker’s mental health issues. Three years later, while entering the Dew Drop Inn, New Orleans Police caught Booker with heroin. He served a year in Angola and 34 days in the Orleans Parish Prison.
 
The brutality of Angola took a further toll on Booker’s mental health. Although he continued to record and perform throughout the early 1970s, his deteriorating mental health and drug addiction irreparably damaged Booker’s rising star. He continued to record as a backing musician during the early 70s - most notably with Ringo Starr and the Doobie Brothers - but his career continued to founder until an appearance at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Fest in 1975.
 
His performance drew the attention of Island Records, which signed him to a recording contract. More significant was the attention it drew from European promoter Nobert Hess, who brought him to Europe for tours in 1977 and 1978. The tours produced several records including “New Orleans Piano Wizard (Rounder)” and the aforementioned “Sic Transit Gloria Mundi (Let’s Make a Better World)” (AMIGA).
 

Throughout his long and storied career, it is unclear when and how often Booker returned to the Bay to visit his Aunt Bessie Lizana and nephew Kent Taylor and nieces, Shelia Twiggs and Yolanda Barroughs, but return he did.
 
Accounts differ as to how often he accompanied the choir at St. Rose de Lima. According to one source, he played only a few Christmas pageants during the ministry of Father Borgia Aubespin (1973-1978). Others recall more frequent visits.
 
According to Kent Taylor, Booker returned again and again for family. He would attend the service at St. Rose, perhaps accompanying the choir. Then, he would retire with family and friends to Ballentine Street for Bessie Lizana’s Sunday dinner. Neighbors would come from Chinch Alley (Easy St.) and bring instruments. Ellsworth Collins came from 216 Sycamore and brought a guitar. Another neighbor, Clarence Collins, joined.

 
Considering the troubled and tormented life of James Carroll Booker, such a picaresque Sunday afternoon undoubtedly drew the Piano Prince back home to the Bay. How could, as Dr. John described him, “the best black, gay, one-eyed junkie piano player to ever come out of New Orleans,” resist the sound of Southern gospel, jazz and R&B, heard through open windows as far as the beach, all punctuated by the smell of Aunt Bessie’s gumbo?
 
Kent is the first to confess that Booker was also known “to be out for a fix” before playing Lizana’s upright through the night. He believed Miss Lizana overlooked Booker’s drug addiction. She told Jon Foose at Booker’s end that “I have never seen a child as good…. he was smart as a whip.”[1]
 
Others recount that in the sixties, the other Booker, the Uptown Booker, would occasionally make his way up Sycamore Street to the clubs that lined the block, the Crack and Big Five Club.

Despite success and the adoration of European fans, heroin, cocaine and paranoia plagued the Piano Prince. By the early 1980s he had returned to the bars, playing a regular Tuesday night show at the Maple Leaf, either alone or with Johnny Vidacovich and “Red” Tyler.
 
His tenure at the Maple Leaf was erratic, from sublime shows (captured on several posthumously released albums) to no-shows, and prima donna tantrums, refusing to play at all. During this time, his only steady gig was at the Toulouse Theater in the French Quarter, playing intermission of the show “One Mo’ Time.”
 
Taylor who — like Booker — divided time between Ballentine in the Bay and New Orleans, would accompany Booker to local gigs. There was a room at Tipitina’s where Booker could shoot up cocaine and heroin. Taylor would wait outside.
 
Once, he recalled, Booker returned from Europe with two briefcases. In one, Taylor said was money, a briefcase full of money. “I want this for you. You can have this,” Taylor recounts Booker saying, “But you stay away from this other case. This ain’t for you.” Booker did not show Taylor the contents, but Taylor knew.

[1]Id.
​

​ 
James Carroll III died Nov. 8, 1983. Taylor and Bessie Lizana went to his one-bedroom apartment in the French Quarter. By Taylor’s account, the apartment was filled with empty bottles of Canadian Mist, fifths, half gallons and pints, all empty. According to Taylor, doctors had told Booker in no uncertain terms that his liver had failed him and any more drinking would kill him. J.C. would not or could not stop. Documentary footage of his funeral show friends - among them, Red Tyler, Deacon John, and three elderly women - Bessie Lizana among them.
 
As to how he lost his eye, nobody knows - a cheap journalistic trick, of course, but one of which Booker would approve. Booker was a showman, and a showman loves and needs mystery.
 
He told Johnny Vidacovich that record producers beat it out of him after Booker worked some flimflam. He told Dr. John that John F. Kennedy did it. To Charles Neville and many others, Ringo did it, thus the star on the black patch he wore. He told Kent Taylor he lost it in Angola, but would not say how. The truth was likely too painful for Booker to share.

 Booker had the marvelous gift to be able to set aside the tragedy of his own life - the addiction, the paranoia, the loss of family - and communicate joy through the keyboard. His own compositions are imbued with irony and humor, not only in the lyrics, but in his voice, and again, not just his voice but the piano itself. He can tear into Rachmaninoff with such authentic gusto and flair, then wind it into a Jelly Roll Morton swing, then again into “Goodnight Irene.”
 
There is a tremendous effusion of comedic wit in the way Booker folds a theme, song or style in on itself, transforming it again and again till it is, at once something different and yet somehow the same, like a Mobius strip or an M.C. Escher print.
 
It is hard to square this humor, this joy, with the man whom the New Orleans police reported had track marks in both arms with a total of 22 scabs. It’s hard to square the beauty with the ranting, broken man screaming over the piano at the Maple Leaf. He screams “Like the Bible tell you are guaranteed to live to seventy if you do the right thing. My mother wasn’t no junkie. She died when she was fifty-three.”
 
Booker puts it best in the liner notes of his best studio release, Junco Partner (1976): “To know the feeling of rejoicing in sorrow is nothing strange to me.”
 

​
SOURCES
Author Unknown. “James Booker” http://roots.life/new-orleans/james-booker/
Matthews, Bunny. “James Booker: Music as a Mysterious Art.” Wavelength, p. 24. Dec. 1983.
Foose, Jon. “Booker’s Life and Achievement.” Wavelength, p. 28. Dec. 1983
Keber, Lily “Bayou Maharaja” Netflix. 2013.
McDermott, Tom. “James Booker” https://64parishes.org/entry/james-booker
McDermott, Tom. “Remembering James Booker”. Offbeat. May 1, 1996
O’Hagen, Sean. “Cocaine boogie: James Booker, the tragic piano genius of New Orleans”. The Guardian. Nov. 20, 2013.
Parlese, Jon. “James Booker: Piano Prince” New York Times. Nov. 10, 1983. 

Friday, August 30th

8PM:  Lazy Magnolia Brewery and Cathead Vodka present a screening of Lily Keber's Bayou Maharajah, the definitive documentary on Booker at 100 Men Hall. Delicious eats for purchase by The Smoking Oyster.

Saturday, August 31st

10AM:  Hollywood Casino and Hancock Whitney Bank present the St. Rose Gospel Choir on 100 Men Hall's historic stage.

4 - 5PM:  Reflections on Booker by local Ellis Anderson, publisher of Shoofly Magazine.

5 - 6PM:  The Silver Slipper presents a Booker piano tribute performed by New Orleans piano greats -Tom McDermott and Josh Paxton. Delicious eats for purchase by The Smoking Oyster.

9 – 11PM:  The Mississippi Gulf Coast National Heritage Area presents a Dance Party with Cuban superstar Alexey Martí accompanied by Jorge Perez, Paolo Castanogli and Oscar Rossignoli. Delicious eats for purchase by The Smoking Oyster.

In "The Accidentals," author Minrose Gwin has crafted a classic and moving novel - and it's set here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

- by ​Scott Naugle

Gwin’s nonfiction work includes "Wishing for Snow," a memoir, and "Remembering Medgar Evers: Writing the Long Civil Rights Movement."

​Most recently, she was a professor at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

 
"The Accidentals" begins in 1957. Olivia McAlister is an anxious mother of two daughters, June and Grace, married to the dependable Holly, a bookkeeper for the local paper mill company. Holly drives a Nash Rambler and is meticulous in trimming the hedges of their neat, comfortable house.

Impacted by and wistful for the energy and vibe of her youth in New Orleans, Olivia cannot find her footing among the routines and housewives of a rural Mississippi community. She’s standoffish, a loner, pining for the intellectual and artistic stimulation of a larger city and the invigorating broader cause she served while working at the Higgins boat factory during World War II.

Through bird-watching and opera, Olivia attempts to find purpose and connection. She is an accidental, “a bird found outside its normal geographic range, migration route, or season: vagrant,” explains the "Merriam-Webster Dictionary."

With a richly developed interior life, artistic, self-aware, walking through days under a deep and exhausting disquietude, Olivia McAlister joins Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway and Evan Connell’s Mrs. Bridge.

Intelligent, internally reflective, and articulate female characters in literature are a rarity, particularly through which an author sets the tone of a novel or barometer through which other characters or society are judged.

In the opening paragraphs of "Mrs. Dalloway," “… feeling as she did, standing there at the open window, that something awful was about to happen; looking at the flowers…”

And from the opening of "Mrs. Bridge," “…Now and then while growing up the idea came to her that she could get along very nicely without a husband.”

Both are strong independent women challenging the status quo and searching for intellectual fulfillment outside a society dominated by men and commerce.

We are introduced to Olivia McAlister in the opening paragraphs of "The Accidentals" as she projects her concerns and desires, “Listen hard now and you can tell what they are saying. This morning the cardinal. Sweetheart, sweetheart, sweetheart, sweet. Then, two houses down, a mockingbird. Redemption, redemption, redemption…Cheer, cheer, cheer. I’m all ears little wren.”

Birds represent flight - an escape - while chirping coded messages to the restless Olivia McAlister, plotting her next action that will, through a series of mishaps, lead an escape flight that will be aborted.
​

After Olivia’s death, her daughters and Holly are boomeranged through a series of emotions and actions that further reverberate into the lives of others with tragic consequences – abortions, wrongful incarceration, cancer, mental illness, physical deformity.

I must admit that the plot twists in "The Accidentals" were so unexpected, and shocking, that I stopped short in my reading and gasped more than once.
 
Gwin can plot a story like few other writers. She exposes the randomness and elegiac incongruity of Southern life at the twilight of the twentieth century. Like an unrestrained and irrepressible Faulkner spinning through generations of malevolence and wickedness in "Absalom, Absalom!", Gwin’s characters cannot escape their past, the poor judgments of their relations, and pure bad luck.

Unlike her fellow Mississippian William Faulkner, Gwin writes with a balance and steadiness, spinning a completely believable story, more grounded in day-to-day life than we may care to acknowledge.

“What I know is that there are always stories behind the stories people tell,” muses June, “They are stacked like crackers in a box behind the ones they do tell.”

There’s hope and love in "The Accidentals" among and within the missteps, and this, I believe, is one of the reasons I believe it succeeds as an enduring work of fiction.

Gwin does not attempt to unearth plausible causes, scrapping through circumstances or family attics for reasons to present the reader as to why something happened.

​Rather, she understands that art, particularly literature, is where one word or one inferring principle is enough. Gwin gives us a story to contemplate, softly imprisoning the reader in her beautiful and subtle language, as we read late into the early morning hours.

Good gosh, Minrose Gwin. "The Accidentals" – a tour de force on so many levels.
​

Turned in to the shelter for being "too active," a feisty terrier-mix proves to be the perfect match for this local writer. 

- Story and photos by Lisa Monti

On the way home, Brody became Boudreaux, a nickname my family affectionately applied to small children. He didn’t seem to notice the name change as we both worked on getting used to our new living arrangement.

On those first few days, I’d leave him in the kennel until I got home from work in the evening. After some play time, he’d go back in the kennel to sleep. On about day four, when the sound of car keys meant kenneling up, Boudreaux disappeared under the bed and couldn’t be coaxed out. If he felt that strongly, I thought, I’d gamble on this unknown guy and give him the freedom to roam the house all day. Turns out, he behaved perfectly. Nothing was out of place, chewed up or wet. After that, the kennel was stored in the garage. I had really lucked out with this one, I thought gratefully.

​There were adjustments to make, of course. He’s not a tall dog or overly curious, but I quickly learned that Boudreaux could access places a Westie could not. One morning I left a cup of coffee on an end table and came back to find it empty. Under caffeinated and confused, I couldn’t imagine what had happened until I noticed the dog panting happily with coffee stains on his face. His next attempt – to get a glass of wine – was averted.
​

The high energy level of my new puppy was a challenge, especially trying to teach him to walk on a leash. He darted and jerked and yanked in every direction, giving me a full body workout trying to keep up. If I didn’t match his movement, the leash would ensnare my arm or legs. People watching our erratic motion would get a laugh, asking who was walking who, as if they couldn’t tell.

We haven’t missed many daily walks in these almost 13 years, and the credit mostly goes to Boudreaux, who’s never too tired, or too hot or too cold to walk our one-mile route to the beach and back. He still tugs on the leash to pull ahead, but he walks mostly in a straight line, stopping at his favorite spots to “read the mail,” as an old neighbor used to call the sniffing that dogs do. 
​

For the most part, Boudreaux has been low maintenance with the exception of grooming (our haircuts cost the same) and a regular supply of treats. At 13 years, he can be grumpy if the treats don’t come fast enough or the door isn’t opened quickly enough. His hearing is about gone, the eyesight isn’t as sharp as it was and he takes pills every day for pain. Jumping up on the furniture isn’t an option anymore, so he sleeps on a rug or squeezes himself under the bed if the weather is bad.

But even at his advanced age, Boudreaux is still a fierce protector of the fence line, barking loudest at bikes and golf carts. And he still likes to ride shotgun when it’s time for a vet appointment or haircut, paws on the dashboard, scouting for anything that gets near. From that first solo day he spent at home13 years ago, Boudreaux has never tried to get into the trash or eat shoes or gnaw on furniture, as some of his predecessors did. His worst habit, honestly, is digging extra deep holes in various spots in the yard to cool off in on summer days. As much as he loves to soak in the water at the beach, he never used his own small plastic swimming pool except as a giant water bowl.

The two of us have covered many a mile on our walks, and we’ve met some very nice people and their pets, including lots of rescues. More than a few people have asked me what kind of dog Boudreaux is, given his mixed background. I use a line that a fellow dog rescuer told me years ago. “He’s a lucky dog. That’s what he is.”
​

​The dogs below are available at the Hancock County Animal Shelter as of June 12, 2019.  Call the shelter at (228) 466-4516 for availability.
​

PRESLEY & PHOEBE are six-month-old Hound mix puppies, surrendered by their owner due to the death of his wife, and his inability to care for them any longer. They are rather docile at the moment, but their shyness is to be expected under these unfortunate circumstances. They are, however, very sweet-natured and are beautiful in their markings and coloring. Presley is the reddish-brown and white cutie on the left, and his sister Phoebe is predominantly white with brown brindle patches. We resisted the urge to names her Patches! Lol! They are good with adult dogs and seem uninterested in our shelter kitties. They will likely require house, crate, and leash training, but the effort will be well worth it. In return, you will receive a lifetime of unconditional love and companionship from these pups.
❤
Our adult dog/puppy adoption fee is $75, which includes worming, spay/neuter, vaccines, microchip, and a free vet check with one of our participating veterinarians. An approved adoption application always applies!
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This dude here is none other than MIGHTY MOUSE!! This youngster is so much fun and is so full of personality that he deserved a fun name, and one of our dedicated kennel techs (obviously a cartoon buff) gave this 18-month-old pup his name. So, we think the whole "one ear up, one ear down" is pretty adorable, don't you?! Mighty Mouse would be the perfect pooch for a family with kiddos, who are seeking a buddy to pal around with and explore the outdoors. If you are a single person/couple and find yourself/yourselves wanting a canine companion to join in your adventures, then Mighty Mouse would be ideal for your lifestyle. He is super cool, sweet and playful, and is happiest when in the company of people. He is great with other dogs, and seems curious but not aggressive towards cats. He keeps his kennel pretty clean, but we cannot guarantee that he is house or crate trained. However, with consistent, positive training, Mighty Mouse should prove to be a quick learner. He enjoys going for walks and picked up appropriate leash manners quickly enough, thanks to our volunteers. Wanna add a real "character" to your family? Then come meet Mighty Mouse! 
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Mighty Mouse's adoption fee is $37.50, which includes worming, neutering, vaccines, microchip, and a free vet check with one of our participating veterinarians. Heartworm status is unknown. An approved adoption application always applies!
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HARLEY is a sweet-natured 12 month old German Shepherd/Doberman Pinscher mix, who came to us as a stray, but she seems to have been part of a family rather recently. She came in very clean and in good condition, plus she has a wonderful temperament. We think she's pretty cute, too, with those little fuzzy-wuzzy caterpillar eyebrows! Lol! We hope her stay with us will be brief, and that her second chance family will come her way soon. Harley has been very sweet and outgoing with our staff and volunteers, and she is playful and friendly with the other dogs in her living area. She was a star at our recent adoption event at Pet Smart. She is a bona fide lap dog, and loves kiddos of all ages. She would be very happy to be part of a family with kiddos, and take on the role of confidant and best friend. She made many new doggie pals at Pet Smart and could easily join a home with existing family dogs. We are unsure yet if Harley is house or crate trained, but she has yet to have an accident. Harley looks forward to daily walks and is great on a leash/harness. She sits for treats and is eager to please. We think she is very smart, too! Please stop by and meet Harley. She may be just the furry friend you've been looking for!?
Harley's adoption fee is $75, which includes worming, spaying, vaccinations, microchip, and a free vet check with one of our participating veterinarians. Heartworm status is unknown. An approved adoption application always applies!
​

​ARIEL is one of the sweetest dogs that you'll ever meet. She is beautiful, too, but our photos just haven't captured her unique gold eyes and "chocolate drop" of a nose. Ariel obviously gave much of herself to nursing puppies, but she is steadily gaining weight, and we are ensuring that she receives high protein food and lots of treats. She simply exudes love and kindness, which extends to other dogs as well. She is able to be paired with any of our other dogs for playtime in our doggie exercise yard, and she is always welcoming and friendly. She is, however, far more interested in the company of humans. She truly loves people! Ariel would be a particularly wonderful dog for a single person/couple, seeking a loyal companion. She is likely 2-3 yrs of age, so she is rather calm in nature, but very much enjoys going for walks and playing. She is great with kiddos of all ages, so she could easily join a home with children and pets. We are unsure yet if Ariel is house or crate trained, but she keeps her kennel pretty clean both here at the shelter and at our weekly adoption event at Pet Smart. Please visit this lovable girl, and discover what we know: Ariel has heart of gold!
 ?
Ariel's adoption fee is $37.50, which includes worming, spaying, vaccinations, microchip, and a free vet check with one of our participating veterinarians. Heartworm status is unknown. An approved adoption application always applies!
​

BUZZ has the "head tilt" down pat, doesn't he? This adorable 8-month-old Labrador Retreiver/American Staffordshire Terrier mix puppy is innately sweet, loves attention and affection, and despite being a youngster among mostly adult dogs, he is incredibly confident and upbeat. He loves going for walks, and looks forward every day to playing in our exercise yard. We find that he does best when walked using a harness. Buzz would be an awesome addition to any family large or small, or fill the role of BFF for a single person/couple or active retirees, looking for a fun-loving buddy to share adventures. Buzz is great with other dogs and sweet with kiddos of all ages. He is also super smart and learned both the "sit" and "down" commands in just one afternoon! This cute fella appears to be house and crate trained, but additional training may be required. He is, however, always well behaved in his crate at PetSmart, especially when he has lots of toys to amuse himself. FYI: Buzz is crazy for toys, so be sure he has a whole toy box full of toys! 

The rewards of the love and companionship this fella will bring you, is worth the responsibilities of puppy training. We hope you'll consider giving Buzz his forever home...he promises to love you "to infinity and beyond!" 
​?❤

As we age, our sense of balance and stability decline - but it doesn't have to be so. Read about ways to improve your balance and avoid potential injury.  Bonus - five-minute balance video! 

- story by Denise Jacobs​

​According to the Vestibular Disorders Association (VeDa), over 69 million Americans suffer from the “frequently debilitating symptoms” of chronic imbalance. The vestibular system, you might remember from a Human Anatomy class, includes the parts of the inner ear and brain that process sensory information involved in balance. 

​Unfortunately, as we age, our balance and stability tend to decline just like our eyesight and hearing. However, the deterioration of balance is not inevitable, and there are preventive actions individuals can take to decrease the risks associated with imbalance as we age.

Chief among the risks of imbalance is the danger of falling. American Senior Communities lists fall-related injuries as the most common reason senior citizens visit hospital emergency rooms. Falls, often exacerbated by clutter, small pets, slippery floors, loose shoes and house slippers, are also a leading cause of injury-related deaths.
​
We should note that there is more to falling than a simple lack of balance. Dr. Charlotte Shupert explains that the tendency to fall should not be dismissed as an “unavoidable” consequence of aging but may be an important sign of a disease that might be treated.

We are far from helpless. While some loss of balance is associated with the loss of muscle mass, a normal part of aging, VeDa contends that we can perfect or even master our balance through practice and exercise — a number of experts agree.

​Harvard Medical School’s Dr. Anthony Komaroff recommends specific muscle-strengthening exercises. Healthy Aging for Women Babyboomers recommends Tai Chi and walking to improve our balance. Some sources suggest that sand walking can teach our bodies to react instantly to changing surfaces, which contributes to balance and coordination.
​

​Local Kripalu yoga instructor Rebecca Kronlage of Tree House Yoga and Wine, Women, and Yoga, recalls walking her dog, Willie, who, in enthusiastic pursuit of a squirrel, suddenly pulled Rebecca off her feet. She credits yoga with helping her stay relaxed in spite of the shift in her body.
 
“My legs were actually behind my torso. What I saw coming towards my face was a picket fence. Without much thinking, my legs naturally adjusted themselves and caught up with my torso. I relaxed into the imbalance and let my body and my stability from years of practicing yoga bring me back to my center.”

​Kronlage recommends a walking meditation, a practice involving walking in slow motion, as a way of restoring our balance and grounding ourselves.
​

 The Vestibular Disorders Association has designated September 15-21, 2019, as Balance Awareness Week. It’s a series of virtual events, both online and in communities around the world. Check www.vestibular.org for opportunities to get involved.

​In the meantime, take a look at our staff pick for most helpful resource—a five-minute routine recommended by Dr. Oz to get the body in alignment, release tension, and improve balance. 

“High energy” doesn’t begin to describe her; Holly Lemoine-Raymond is a force of nature.

- Story by Dena Temple, photos courtesy Holly Lemoine-Raymond

​ 
Everyone seems to know Holly, and for good reasons. Holly worked in a marketing capacity for one of the area casinos before she opened the Cypress Café, a restaurant in the city hall building. An interest in real estate prompted her to sell the business and pursue a real estate license.  Just two short years later Holly opened HL Raymond Properties, today one of the most successful real estate agencies in town. 2019 is shaping up to be the company’s best year yet, according to Holly.
 

 
Holly and her staff of 12 (with agents) provide boutique service for their clients from their office on Ulman Avenue. The building, formerly an orthodontist’s office, was transformed by Holly in a palette of sophisticated grays accented with reclaimed architectural salvage.
 
Upcycling other people’s castoffs is Holly’s signature style. “If I can take something discarded and give it a new life, everyone wins,” she says. “Plus, I think it looks great.”
 
Two of her favorite items to reclaim are old windows and shipping pallets. Holly regularly writes step-by-step DIY articles for the “Beautiful Things” column here in the Shoofly Magazine.
 

 
Holly’s marketing background, she feels, gives her an edge in servicing her real estate clients. “Selling a house is about three things: location, timing and price. We try to give our clients an edge by thinking outside of the box and coming up with unique ideas to attract the right buyers for their homes.”
 
A good example of that out-of-the-box thinking was her 2017 appearance on HGTV’s Beachfront Bargain Hunt, a series where prospective home buyers tour several homes in one beachfront town – in Holly’s episode, Bay St. Louis.
 

 
After this appearance Holly also appeared on an episode of the show, You Live in What? This show, on the GAC Network, featured homes (again in Bay St. Louis) in unusual buildings – one was a converted gas station that Holly renovated, and another, the historic Webb Schoolhouse, a Mississippi Landmark. Holly also helped scout other locations for the show.
 
These experiences lit the spark of a new idea for Holly, and soon she was pitching the idea for Inside Out with HL Raymond Properties to local TV executives. The show features local homes, and viewers are left to match up the interior and exterior views of each home.
 
“It’s a great way to show off our town and some of its homes, with a twist!” explained Holly. She pitched the idea to WLOX in Biloxi, and several weeks later she gave an expanded pitch to network execs from stations in Hattiesburg and New Orleans, too. The network liked the idea, and Inside Out with HL Raymond Properties was born. The show is #2 of its type and has since been picked up for a second season, which will feature a different type of property in each episode: antebellum homes, for example, or tiny houses. Plans are to expand to the Baton Rouge and Jackson markets next.
 

​ 
Holly says she does her best thinking around water – the beach and the Washington Street Pier are her favorites – and the ideas just keep coming. “However,” she cautions, “I won’t take on any project that will affect my business or keep me away from my family. Those are my priorities.”
 
Holly’s husband, Leo, owns a commercial plumbing business in New Orleans. Her son, Landry, was born with tarsel coalition, a painful bone condition in his feet. In spite of this, he is a healthy, active 19-year-old who ran cross-country in high school at St. Stanislaus.
 
Landry is working on getting his own real estate license, as well as his drone license. He and Leo also started a lawn care company, Blade Lawn Care, while Landry prepared for his first year at Millsaps College in Jackson. It certainly appears that personal drive runs in the family, and Mom couldn’t be prouder.
 

​ 
Holly and her team also make time to give back to the community. In general, she prefers to roll up her sleeves and donate her talents, feeling that effort makes more of an impact than a cash donation.
 
A good example of this was her “She-shed” raffle, which benefited Habitat for Humanity. Holly took an ordinary garden shed and over six months transformed it into a peaceful, stylish sanctuary. The “she-shed” was then raffled off, and the funds helped Habitat for Humanity renovate several area homes.
 
One of the homes belonged to Connie Lyons, a driving force behind another area charity, King’s Kitchen, which provides meals for the homeless.
​
“That was so satisfying,” Holly recalls. “We were able to help someone vitally important to our community who really needed help at that time. The proceeds from that raffle are still helping our neighbors today.” Holly also is working with the Boys and Girls Club of Hancock County on their November event, “Taste of the Future.”
 

​ 
When asked to pick one thing that not everyone knows, Holly replies, “I’ve had a lifelong fascination with sharks.” She had hoped to be a marine biologist but had to switch gears in college due to a medical issue.
 
However, she did swim with sharks to fulfill her lifelong dream. “Doing anything dangerous is about knowing your risks, and conquering your fears. I didn’t just jump in; I did research, eased in, and I had a rope, a lifeline – just in case.” She follows that same philosophy in business and in life. She always does her homework and calculates the risk before easing into any new venture.
 
Holly tries to keep things positive all the time. “Every morning, you have the choice to be the best that you can be,” she says. “I’ve been lucky enough to do the things I want to do, yet even the things that didn’t work out brought me to where I am today.
 
“There are always going to be issues, you know? What defines you is how you handle them. And now that I’ve found my passion,” she concludes, “I’m happy to help others find theirs.”

​100 Men Hall hosts the inaugural Booker Festival in honor of a New Orleans music icon who spent time growing up in Bay St. Louis.
 
- story by Lisa Monti

​ 
Booker came up in a conversation with Floyd Moseley when he was having his portrait taken for the 100 Men Hall People Project. “He said that Booker used to play at St. Rose and after would come to Floyd's grandma’s house because she was the only one with a piano,” Dangermond said.

Later she was talking with Bay St. Louis resident Lee Seal about his takeaways from putting together Bridge Fest and ideas for the Hall started “popcorning.” Seal said he liked the concept of the King Biscuit Festival because fest goers can camp out at the venue.
 
Seal also suggested Joe Krown for a piano tribute to Booker. Krown suggested Tom McDermott because he has a more extensive Booker repertoire. 
 
Dangermond called her friend McDermott, well known for his playing and compositions, and he agreed to play. McDermott also suggested that Josh Paxton perform as well – the pianist’s unique style brought high praise from Dr. John.
 
With the piano tribute in place -  along with a showing of “Bayou Maharajah,” Lily Keber’s definitive documentary on Booker -  Dangermond added a gospel element to the festival lineup. The celebrated St. Rose Gospel Choir agreed to perform and will bring another local connection to Booker.
 

​ 
“It turns out some of the choir members remember Booker from back in the day when he played with the choir,” Dangermond said.
 
And when Mayor Mike Favre approved of primitive campsites on the Hall grounds, the festival was set for Labor Day weekend.
 
“It was one of those things,” Dangermond said. “When it’s right, it’s right.” Above all, she said,  “I want it to be fun and funky.”
 
The camping option will give first time visitors an introduction to the area and benefit local merchants. “The festival itinerary is very loose and we’re hoping people who come for the weekend will go out to have breakfast and lunch and go shopping while they’re here,” Dangermond said.
 
While the idea behind Booker Fest is to raise funds annually to maintain and preserve 100 Men Hall, the goal also is to attract regional, national and international attention to the African American landmark and its history.

The festival will open at 8 p.m. Aug. 30 with the indoor screening of Bayou Maharajah. Food by Chef Chris Hayes from the Smoking Oyster in New Orleans will be available for purchase on both nights of the festival. Hayes was named the winning contestant on a Food Network show. 
​

• On Aug. 31, the St. Rose Gospel Choir will perform on the Hall’s historic stage at 10 a.m. At 4 pm, there will be readings and talks by locals who knew Booker – including Ellis Anderson of the Shoofly Magazine, who worked with Booker in the French Quarter in the 1970s.  

• The piano tribute with McDermott and Paxton begins at 5 pm. An outdoor screening of Bayou Maharajah will be at 8 pm.

• Closing out the festival will be a dance party headlined by Cuban percussionist Alexey Martí with Jorge Perez, Paolo Castanogli and Oscar Rossignoli.

​

• Admission for all events will be $25 in advance and $30 at the door. Wristbands will be given on arrival. 

It's easy to purchase advance tickets online.
 
Primitive camping that allows (2) entry to all of the events is $75.
Contact Rachel at 100MenHall@gmail.com for details.
 
Purchase the camping ticket here.

For more than 40 years, GCCN has been helping victims of violence across South Mississippi. In 2016, they opened a Bay St. Louis office, making assistance even more accessible for Hancock County residents in need. Director Kelly Hawkins explains what services the center offers, and how it’s changing lives. 

​The Gulf Coast Center for Nonviolence hopes to raise awareness in the Hancock County community about the victims they continue to serve and the programs available to meet the victims' needs, including:

• A Domestic Violence Program that provides case management services, counseling and crisis intervention at two emergency shelters.

 

• A Sexual Assault Program that provides crisis intervention, counseling, and 24/7 hospital response.

 

• A Children’s Program that features counseling and a therapeutic preschool for children ages 3 to 5 affected by violence.

 

• A Justice Program that includes court advocacy, a domestic violence intervention program for batterers, and a legal clinic that provides free civil legal services.

 

• A Survivors of Homicide Program for friends and family members who have lost a loved one to murder.

 

• And an Outreach Education Program that educates community members, students, law enforcement and professionals in South Mississippi on the dynamics and effects of interpersonal violence.

 

​While the Center offers all of these services to Hancock County residents, the agency’s Hancock County office allows for a Court Advocate to be readily available in Hancock County Justice Court, Waveland Municipal Court and Bay St. Louis Municipal Court.
 
The Court Advocate presents in these courts to advocate for victims of domestic violence by sitting with them in their emotional space, giving them support, and making sure they feel safe while facing their abusers.
 ​​

Counseling and case management services are also offered through the Nonresidential Program at this Hancock County office. The Center has an Outreach Adult Counselor and an Outreach Children’s Counselor who meet clients right in Bay St. Louis, so that they do not have to travel to access services - which is essential in making sure these professionals are available to clients on their schedules. 
 
Additionally, the Center’s Court Advocates and Counselors in Hancock County work directly with staff across the agency’s six-county service area providing referrals to emergency shelter, counseling, and legal services. This connection in Hancock County is crucial to educating community members, as well as victims of violence on what meaningful services are available to them during their time of need.
​ 
The Gulf Coast Center for Nonviolence is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 800-800-1396. The direct number for the Hancock County office (during business hours) is 228-252-1999.
 
Their services are confidential, and safety is their top priority. If you or someone you know may be in need of services following a violent relationship, a sexual assault, or you have lost someone to homicide, please know you are not alone. GCCN is there to help and to advocate for justice and your rights as a victim of crime.
 
You deserve to feel safe in your home. You deserve safety for your children. You deserve a violence-free life. They can help. ​

Waveland Alderman Jeremy Burke reports on an important court decision that benefits Waveland residents; and recognition of the Waveland Business of the Year.
​

​Waveland owes a great deal of gratitude to Senator Cindy Hyde Smith, Senator Roger Wicker and Congressman Steven Palazzo for this endeavor. Without their leadership and perseverance Waveland would still be at a standstill.
​

Business of the Year
​
I would like to congratulate Pearl River Community College Hancock Center for being elected by the Hancock Chamber membership as the Waveland Business of the Year.

Pearl River Community College Hancock Center provides local students with an opportunity to receive a quality education right here in Waveland.  Pearl River Community College Hancock Center opened right before Katrina then reopened shortly after Katrina in a trailer in order to continue the mission of educating Hancock County students.  

What a blessing Waveland has that students can receive a top-notch education with just a short drive, bike ride or even walk to the Pearl River Community College Hancock Center. Congratulations to Pearl River Community College Hancock Center. 

Waveland Food Truck Friday - August 9

During the Second Saturday Artwalk each month in Old Town Bay St. Louis, you'll find cool deals, fresh meals and lots of art and live music!

Be sure to check out "Hot Spots" Clay Creations (105 S. Toulme Street) and Lulu's on Main (126 Main Street).  Read more about these featured businesses below! 
​
- stories by Caroline St. Paul, photos by Caroline St. Paul and Ellis Anderson
​

Clay Creations
105 S. Toulme Street 
Bay St. Louis​
(228) 466-6347
Website
​
Clay Creations, located in the back of Gallery 220, sells handmade clay sculptures which replicate buildings that appear primarily along the Gulf Coast and New Orleans.
 
The business recently celebrated its 35th anniversary in June of this year. Jenise McCardell began Clay Creations Studio in 1980. In 1993, she moved herself and the business to Bay St. Louis from New Orleans, and opened her own ceramics studio there. Today, she and her husband, Mark Currier, continue to create these beloved creations out of clay.

​“The pieces are sculpted from white clay, hand painted, and fired twice in a temperature kiln.” Throughout the years, many pieces from over 1,000 designs have been created. These pieces depict images of businesses, restaurants, bars, schools, churches, homes, and custom creations, which are McCardell’s favorites.
 
Clay Creations make a great gift, as they offer a bit of nostalgia and personalization. Customers always adore these special creations, some of which even depict buildings that are not standing anymore. The special custom pieces are made when customers bring in photos of their home, business, or any other architectural building they would like replicated.
 

 
After 35 years of business, Clay Creations is one of the oldest continuously operating businesses in Old Town. Stop into the gallery, and you may even get to see some creations being made, as the entire process happens on site. Over 1,000 designs are also on display here.

Weeks after Hurricane Katrina, McCardell and her husband decided to repair their building as quickly as possible so that they could host Second Saturday. This heroic act was just what the community needed to heal. The couple decided to open their doors every Saturday evening for the next several months, which allowed everyone to come together, and also gave the local artists a space to show and sell their artwork.
 

 
This same spirit is present in the business. For August 10th's Second Saturday Artwalk, stop into the gallery to view these beautiful handmade clay creations. Enjoy entertainment sponsored by Hancock/Whitney Bank, The First, and The People’s Bank. Enjoy Clay Creations as a “Hot Spot” for the entire month of August. 
​

Lulu's on Main
126 Main Street 
Bay St. Louis​
(228) 463-1670
Website

Enjoy a leisurely afternoon of lunching and shopping at Lulu’s on Main. Nancy Moynan has owned Lulu’s since 2002. After Hurricane Katrina, Moynan bought Lulu’s current building from her brother in 2007, and the restaurant re-opened on June 22 of that year.
 
Moynan came to Bay St. Louis to retire and “to slow life down a little bit.” A New Orleans native, Moynan cites Bay St. Louis as an extension of the city. Her restaurant, and the food that she serves, is reminiscent of “The Big Easy,” and of her mother and grandmother as well.
 

​ 
At Lulu’s, “There really aren’t any bad sellers,” Moynan says. On the menu you will find crab cakes, chicken salad, roast beef po-boys, fish tacos, pear pecan salad, Greek salad, hamburgers, and much more. Everything is cooked to order by Moynan, who got her restaurant training at Commander’s Palace.
 
After moving out of her family’s home as a young adult, Moynan would call her mother and ask how to make certain dishes. “That’s kind of how I got the bug,” she remembers. “This has just been a passion.”
 
“I formulate a menu of what I think people want,” she says. Moynan is happy with the current menu, calling it “spot-on.” She runs a lot of specials as well that customers always enjoy.

​“The community here is delightful!” she says, adding, “there is such a familiarity.” Moynan’s philosophy is grounded on “keeping it manageable, small, fresh, and giving people a memory, an experience.” The building that Lulu’s calls home also houses a few retail shops, making it the perfect place to enjoy a blissful lunch with friends or family, followed by shopping - all under one roof.
 
Lulu’s is open for breakfast and lunch Wednesday-Sunday. Enjoy it as a “hot spot” for the month of August, and enjoy entertainment for August 10 Second Saturday Artwalk sponsored by Hancock Whitney Bank, The First, and The People’s Bank. 
​

Steve Barney, president of The Arts, Hancock County, explores the creative economy of the Waveland Lighthouse with this unique community sculpture project. ​

- story and photos by Steve Barney

A few local residents criticize the design and worry about it attracting transients who can charge their phones, take a shower and hang out in the shade. Naysayers predicted elevation and insurance requirements would make future Coleman Avenue development untenable.

But no matter how you feel about the structure, the lighthouse has quickly become an iconic symbol of post-Katrina Waveland. 
​

​Through the efforts of internationally renowned artists Erica Larkin Gaudet and Mitchell Gaudet and the City of Waveland, the mayor’s vision is indeed coming to fruition.
​
Erica has had her metal sculpting studio up and running for over a year now in the previous Waveland Business Center building, now operating as Studio Waveland + Gallery - a state-of-the-art, 3,000-square-foot gallery and exhibition space.

In the past year, Studio Waveland has produced eight exhibitions featuring local, national and world-class artists. These contemporary art shows bring hundreds of fine art aficionados from the local area, New Orleans, the North Shore and across the Gulf Coast.

​The building’s financial control was recently turned over from the federal government to the City of Waveland. Now the Gaudets are working towards the development and construction of Mitchell’s glass casting studio (Studio Inferno) by installing his giant glass furnaces in the facility. This move, which represents a $250,000 capital investment, will establish one of the most important glass and metalworking facilities in the region.
​
This spring, Kiln artist Mary Nelson was making a ceramic sculpture of a lighthouse she visited in North Carolina. At the time of the Waveland ribbon cutting, the idea came up….“Why don’t we make a sculpture of the Waveland Lighthouse?” Not daunted by the challenge, Nelson enthusiastically began design and fabrication. 

Once she began working on the project, Nelson quickly realized the complexity and magnitude of iconifying this 60-foot-tall, multi-level complex structure in clay. Built on piers with staircases, railings and elevator shaft, she wanted no detail was left out – including Mayor Mike waving from the balcony - trading in his signature red tie for a blue tie to match the lighthouse roof. 
​

Nelson, a Mississippi coast resident since childhood, works for the Port of Gulfport. She explains, “My love of art comes from learning to accept I don't have to be perfect and that I am my biggest critic.

"This lighthouse sculpture project has given me new confidence as an artist, as I’m learning to let go. Even if it doesn't go as planned, oftentimes the result is better than the original idea.”

Mary enlisted her mom, Teri, to help with the project. Mary and Teri came to ceramics at the Bay St. Louis Creative Arts Center through a connection with Linnae Scheel, who had been teaching art classes and workshops from the barn behind Dempsey’s Restaurant in Kiln. 
​

Everyone in the Tuesday night class pitched in to help complete the sculpture in time for Destination Waveland’s Fourth of July party. During the celebration, visitors marveled at the sculpture and got a chance for a unique selfie with the lighthouse in front of the lighthouse.

On August 6, the Nelsons, representing the BSL Creative Arts Center and The Arts, Hancock County, will formally present the sculpture to the City of Waveland.

Mayor Mike Smith says, “I think it’s amazing, the time and detail… It looks exactly like the real thing.” He added, “It shows how iconic this structure is to the City of Waveland.” 
​

The city plans to build a museum-quality display case and viewing area within City Hall, where the sculpture is anticipated to become a tourist attraction on its own.

The sculpture is already being booked for traveling exhibitions, including the Gulf Coast Model Railroad Museum, Mississippi Welcome Center and other locations, in an effort to promote Destination Waveland and The Arts, Hancock County.

The Waveland Lighthouse meme is extending to the digital world as well.

A prototype is being developed by Katrina Niolet and Miguel Davalos II of You're Perfect Studio, Mississippi's first digital arts co-op.

According to Katrina, “Using video game technology, the lighthouse is being modeled in a photorealistic, interactive 3D environment.”

​She adds, “We’re excited to bring this iconic landmark to life in the virtual world!"

Our Hancock County philosopher observes the natural world around him acting in harmony and wonders where humans fit in.

- Story by James Inabinet, PhD

Minutes passed. My eyes remained closed as I felt a simple joy at being here, now. My wandering mind soon fell onto why it felt so good and it occurred to me (as it has before) that it might be the interlacing harmony of it all.

A palpable harmony, a felt one, I have quite often found myself to be ensconced here in my forest home within a panoply of seamless fits, a place where everything seemed “just so.” Homes and niches interpenetrate and overlap homes and niches–and I am a part of it!

I have surmised that every constituent being, by simply following their desires to be, by just being and doing according to true natures, contributes to and creates this harmony.
​

Oak trees are being oak. Driven by a desire to be oak (no more-no less) they surge with hormones and produce flowers that become acorns, food for squirrels, birds, and weevils–and budding oak trees.

Weevils are being weevil. Driven by a similar desire, they drill into acorns where eggs are laid that hatch into acorn-eating weevil grubs. Shiny green tiger beetles, driven by a desire to be and do tiger beetle, are running about–fast–on the forest floor to catch and eat small insects, notably acorn weevils.

Lizards are there too, among the beetles, prompted by desire to just be lizard. Some are flashing blue underbellies while others flash ruddy neck extensions, even as tiny flying moths are snatched up and devoured.

Bees, driven by a desire to be bee, can be heard buzzing about (a totally bee behavior), checking-in on coreopsis flowers over there, wild plum flowers over here, and huckleberry flowers over there.

Sitting on a mat of leaves, I leaned against a water oak to gaze. A barely visible dogwood bloomed through intervening foliage. I listened to the gentle breeze in the canopy and scanned.

A low-flying pine warbler, lured by desire to be warbler, flitted from limb to limb. She was singing a distinctive “warbling cheep” while jerking her head about rapidly, side-to-side, up-then down, jerky–nothing smooth about it.

​To the west about a hundred feet away a male swallowtail, driven by desire, perhaps by the proximal scent of a potential mate, flew haphazardly but quickly from left to right and out of sight, two hundred feet in a matter of seconds.
​

In the face of a desire to be and the apparent harmony within my forest home, I wondered about humans. I wondered about human-in-harmony, about what it might be like for a human being to live in harmony with the forest in the same way an oak or a warbler or a fence lizard lives in harmony.

What would that be like? What would it feel like for a human in service to a potential “human niche” to perform a “human function” that creates it?

Ecologically, an organism performing its function in an ecosystem is performing its niche. Niche is kind of like a “job” in the ecosystem, both the place and the functioning, inseparably, together, including associates, i.e., oaks and weevils and squirrels and warblers.

Squirrels perform a squirrel function by gathering acorns, ripping pine cones apart, running along limbs, hiding from the cooper’s hawk behind a pine trunk. By performing these functions, a squirrel niche is performed.

​How does the squirrel know what to do? She follows instinct for sure, but what is that like? I surmise that niching behaviors are prompted by a desire to be and become, whatever kind of organism is in question. Squirrels, driven by the instinctual desire to BE squirrel, perform niching behaviors and squirrel niches spontaneously spring into being.
​

This brings us back to humans and niche. In a forest ecosystem, what might a human function be? Along the lines of squirrel function and niche, this must be a performance of human function that brings about a human niche.

How would a human know what to do? Is it just instinct? In its performance, would human niching harmonize with the functioning of other beings of a forest like squirrel functioning does? What would such a human niche look like, be like? More importantly perhaps, what would it feel like?

​These questions haunt me.

Our own DIY Diva shows us how to make these adorable planters, inspired by Peggy Branger from Antique Maison.
​
- story and photos by Holly Lemoine-Raymond
​

Instructions
 
Step 1:
​Soak your tea bags or single-use coffee packs in water and let them sit.

Step 2:
While the tea bags are soaking, paint the pots and let them dry. I used Paint & Primer in One with a matte finish in French Cream. The Paint & Primer in One will give the pot a little texture.

 Step 3:
With your scissors, cut the labels off the seed packets and soak them in the water with your tea or coffee bags.

 
Step 4:
Once the paint on the pots dries, use the paint brush to add your stain. 

 
Step 5:
Do not let the stain dry. Use your rag or paper towel to wipe the stain until you have your desired look. You will be wiping most of the stain away. The texture from the paint & primer will help give the remaining stain depth. 

 
Step 6:
Using a clean paint brush, apply a layer of Mod Podge to the pot where the seed label will go.
 
Step 7:
With the same paint brush, apply Mod Podge on the back of the label. Place the label on the pot where you applied the layer of Mod Podge and smooth it down. Allow the Mod Podge to dry for at least 15 to 20 minutes.
 

 
Step 8:
​Now that your pot is decorated it’s time to add your herbs. I used Sweet Basil, Rosemary and Chives.
 

 
Step 9:
Once you have placed your herbs in the pots, you will need to add a bit of soil. For this project I used Flower & Garden Vegetable Soil. You won’t need much, just enough to fill in the pot.

 
You could add one last touch by putting a matching saucer under your pots. Your herb garden is now ready for your kitchen window or counter, and you can enjoy fresh herbs all year around!

Thanks for checking out Beautiful Things in the Shoofly Magazine! 

With some thought and advance planning, you can prepare for the next big storm and protect what’s most important to you.  We've got a complete list of resources to help. 
​
 - story by Dena Temple
​photos by Dena Temple and Ellis Anderson

​Beachfront homes were reduced to kindling. Boats bounced about like discarded toys. The power grid failed; over two million households in the state lost power in the storm. 346,000 NJ homes were damaged or destroyed. Photos of an iconic roller coaster being washed into the sea were heart-wrenching.
 

I remember venturing out the morning after the storm and, after finding only minimal damage to our home (we lived in the hills about a mile from Sandy Hook Bay), driving around to assess the damage in our area.

Near the harbor a number of residents were trapped in their homes by colossal yachts wedged against their front doors. Smaller boats lay on their sides in the middle of Main Street, blocking egress.

In the harbor, fancy pleasure boats came to rest stacked atop one another like a domino layout gone terribly wrong. Many houses along the waterfront looked intact from the street, but they had been peeled open by the storm, exposing the living area, and the people inside, to the ravages of the wind and the sea.

​Thirty-seven NJ residents did not survive.
​

 ​ 
It took about three weeks to get everyone’s power back on line. In the meantime, those of us who were lucky enough to have generators waited daily in lines up to eight hours long at one of the few gas stations that were open.

​Those mega service stations with their big generators were beacons in the aftermath, drawing neighbors together to compare war stories and share information (and often misinformation as well). 

​ 
It was gut-wrenching. And I’m sure for most readers here on the Gulf Coast, it sounds painfully familiar and probably dredges up some terrifying memories. I am sorry about that.
 
Everyone on the Gulf Coast has a story about how Katrina changed their lives. Many have horror stories about insurance companies and FEMA trailers, but the worst stories are those about our lost friends and loved ones. While 285 people died during Superstorm Sandy, 238 fell to Nature’s wrath in Mississippi alone during Hurricane Katrina, which claimed a total of over 1,800 lives.
 

​ 
Storms like Katrina and Sandy teach us one thing: People are more important than possessions. First safeguard yourself and your loved ones; then worry about objects that can’t be replaced; and secure last what can be easily replaced.
 
The best protection against loss of life and property is planning, and there are many sources of excellent information about hurricane preparedness. I’ve included a number of links at the end of this article; the information is all valid and valuable.

​If you haven’t already done so, set aside an evening and gather the family around the dining table for some straight talk about storm preparations.
 

There are a number of steps you can take today to make you storm-ready. Here are a few:

• Review your insurance policies. Prepare your home and vehicles according to your policy to avoid claims issues after the storm. If it’s been a while since you have reviewed your home’s insurance, make sure you still have adequate coverage, then review this helpful brochure from the Actuarial Foundation.​

• Review local evacuation routes. The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) offers free printed copies of their hurricane evacuation map, or you can download it here. Once you decide which way you want to go,
  
  
• Find a hotel – now. Unless you are staying with friends or relatives, you will need a place to stay. Make a list of at least three hotels in your destination city, and at the first sign of a major storm, start calling for reservations. If you are bringing a pet, be sure to find pet-friendly accommodations. If it turns out you don’t need to evacuate, be sure to cancel any reservations so you aren’t charged for the room.

• Assemble a disaster kit. Many of the links at the end of this article include checklists of items you should include in your hurricane supplies. You’re going to need supplies not just to get through the storm but for the aftermath.
  - Have enough non-perishable food, water and medicine to last each person in your family a minimum of three days. Electricity and water could be out for at least that long. You’ll need extra cash (see below), a battery-powered radio and flashlights.
  - If possible, include a spare (charged) battery for your phone. Also helpful would be a portable crank- or solar-powered USB charger.
  - Be sure to include toys and games for the kids – this will surely be a stressful time for them.
  
  
• Whether you are evacuating or sheltering in place, it’s crucial to gather your important papers. BSL resident Madeline Ammentorp penned an excellent article that includes an extensive list of documents and photos you should get together before a storm.

• Back up your data regularly. Be sure your desktop computer, laptops, PDAs and smartphones are all backed up to minimize any data loss. Consider cloud storage for your data to ensure your information is safe.
  
  
• Purchase a corded phone. If you have a land-line phone and usually use a cordless handset, be sure you have a phone on hand that does not need electricity to operate.
  
  
• Gas up ALL your cars. Fill gas cans for your generator too, if you have one.
  ​
• Have plenty of cash on hand. When credit card machines are offline, you can still pay with cash. Remember that ATMs work on electricity, so don’t count on getting cash once the storm passes; it may not be possible.

Photos courtesy of Roll-A-Way Shutters

If you are like most Americans, your home is your biggest investment. There are steps you can take to mitigate storm damage – and most of them are common sense and cost little or nothing.

• Secure outdoor belongings. This may seem like a no-brainer, but in an area where so much of our lives are lived outdoors, we have a lot of stuff in our yards – and this stuff can become deadly projectiles when backed by an 85-mile-per-hour wind. Put away grills, trash cans and coolers, lash together patio furniture, and stow small items like bird feeders and planters.
  
  
• Trim trees. Removing dead branches and those that overhang your house or other structures can save hundreds or thousands in potential damage. Early in the summer is a great time to take this project on.
  
  
• Move boats and cars to higher ground – a friend’s house or a parking lot (be sure to get the owner’s permission).
  
  
• Cover your windows. Plywood is an inexpensive window cover but takes some time to install. Metal or plastic storm shutters (metal roll-down shutters are shown above) are more expensive but can save you money on your homeowner’s insurance. Fabric storm panels (below), made from either PVC or Kevlar, can be snapped into place very quickly and easily and also may qualify you for insurance discounts.
  
  
• Use sand bags to redirect water. While sand bags will not keep water out, they can be used to redirect low flood water away from doors or other openings. Sand bags should be filled one-half full and stacked one layer at a time, then tamped before moving to the next layer, and they should not be used over three layers high. Use a plastic sheet between the structure and sand bags to keep water from seeping under doors. Keep in mind that once sand bags are exposed to contaminated flood waters, they may pose an environmental hazard and may require special handling. 

​ 
Some of the above advice can save you money. However, more valuable still is the peace of mind knowing that your family is safe and that you have done what you could to protect what’s most important to you.
 
Here’s hoping for a quiet hurricane season, y’all.

• American Red Cross
• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
• FLASH (Federal Alliance for Safe Homes)
• Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA)
• Mississippi Department of Transportation MDOT
• National Hurricane Center
• NOAA/National Weather Service

After fifty years of adoration, a Paul McCartney fan shares an intimate moment with him - along with 18,000 other fans.  
- story by Ellis Anderson

While my dad was a church elder, he was a lively 42 years old in 1964 and possessed an extremely curious nature - and a love of puns.  The band’s name caught his fancy as much as their advanced press.  I could tell he was looking forward to seeing the Beatles as much as me and my older sister, Diane.  My family didn’t live very far from the church, but Daddy drove faster than usual.  He turned on our clunky console set as soon as we got in the front door.

My mom served us all pound cake and milk before settling on the sofa next to Daddy.  Hailing from deep Appalachia, she generally viewed any new trend like the Beatles with suspicion; if something was fun it was likely to be an instrument of Satan.  Like rock n’ roll.  And mini-skirts. 
 
On the other hand, she felt a great fondness for Elvis.  One of the Jordanaires who backed up Elvis was Ray Walker and Ray was a leading member of our denomination.  That fact completely offset Elvis’s devilish hip-swiveling routines. 

Mom was sure Ray would convert Elvis any day now.  She could just tell by Elvis’s rendition of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” that he’d eventually choose the straight and narrow path – ours.  The one where any dancing at all was a sin.
 
Diane, seven years older than me and an actual teenager, possessed reams of Beatles knowledge she reeled off while we waited for the show to start.  John was married with a son while the rest were single.  There’d been an earlier drummer before Ringo, Pete Best.  By the way, Ringo’s real name was Richard Starkey.

​
She and I nested on the floor right in front of the TV, ignoring our mom’s warning that the radiation would zap us blind if we sat that close.  At the time, no one realized I was already legally blind.  From sofa distance, all I could see on the TV screen were grey blobs moving around. 

I thought the world was blurry for everyone, and that while the extra radiation made things clearer on TV when I sat close, it was a dangerous habit. That night, the risk seemed worth a lifetime of darkness.
 
When the Beatles began playing against a backdrop of shrill screams, the bright sounds that flooded my ears were unlike any I’d heard before.  The supremely simple songs weren’t overwrought with croons and warbles and horns and back-up singers. 

Yet the music kicked up its heels, unlike the time-worn tunes by the forlorn folk singers I admired.  The four cute boys on stage wearing preppy suits and jumbo-bowl haircuts performed their songs with unpretentious energy and merry spirits.  I sat mesmerized, wanting the music never to end.

 
My sister helped make that happen.  She used some of her baby-sitting money the following week to buy the Brits’ first album, “Meet the Beatles.” 

​Passion overtook me one afternoon while I listened to the album alone, mooning over the stark blue tinted faces on the cover.  I circled the handsome head of my beloved and wrote – in ballpoint pen – “I Love You, Paul!” 
​

​Diane was apoplectic when she saw it a few days later.  
 
“You idiot!” she screamed. “You not only ruined the album cover, you wrote on John’s picture!”
 
She was right.  I’d gotten the two singers confused. My embarrassment lasted until the album was lost in a move decades later.    
 
“I haven’t forgotten,” Diane says now when I remind her of the incident.  “But I have forgiven you.”  
 
There’s a little edge in her voice that makes me wonder.  
 
After the album cover incident, Diane’s attraction to the Beatles faded. Her devotion to Elvis redoubled as his acting career soared.  So my sister never learned of more serious damage to her album.  Since my school let out hours before hers, I’d spend afternoons quietly playing the album in her room on her portable record player.  
 
Over and over and over. 
 
I learned the words to every song.  
 
While I adored the songs, there was a greater purpose to my memorization.  Somehow, at some point in the future when I was an actual woman, Paul and I would have a chance meeting.  The details were fuzzy in my fantasy, but he’d invite me to sing with him.  Our voices would harmonize perfectly on every tune, our tones becoming twins.  His heart would instantly be mine forever. That was my destiny.  I just knew it. 
 
But by the time I'd learned all the songs, word for word, deep grooves in the vinyl distorted the sound. The crackle and hiss of scratches marred those clear, dear voices.  
 
I repeated the same crime 15 years later.  

The original version of "Blackbird."  This video gets really interesting around 1:18

As a college student learning to play the song “Blackbird” in my little studio apartment in Nashville, I played the White Album song repeatedly.  After finding one of the fingerings on the neck of my guitar, I’d put it aside, stand up and go to the record player, pick up the stylus and move it back.  Repeat.  Repeat. Repeat. 
 
Forty years later, the price of a new album seems a small price to have paid for learning the song that’s brought me so much joy, so many times. With that mysterious musicians’ alchemy, my hands seem to have brains of their own when I play it.  They move independently, without conscious direction from me.  

Sometimes I watch as if they’re someone else’s hands.  The left hand scoots up and down the guitar's fretboard, putting pressure on this string and that, while the right hand plucks the proper strings at a precise moment needed to create Blackbird’s melody.  How do they do that?  

I don’t know. Playing an instrument eventually becomes a miraculous process that by-passes the ego, connecting the player’s soul directly to a universal power.  I believe all musicians feel this.  It gives us a joy like no other.  It’s the reason we’re always encouraging kids to take up an instrument. 
 
Paul and I never did meet and Linda snatched him up before I made it out of middle school.  The only time we’ve been in the same room – if you can call it that – is when he played in New Orleans this May.

A nosebleed seat turned out to be a great advantage, giving me a stupendous overview of the event.  We didn’t need front row seats to catch the good will the former Beatle radiated.  
 
And I finally got my invitation to harmonize with Paul.  Along with 18,000 other people, I lifted my voice as he led us all in song.  I hadn’t been the only one wearing out the albums. We all knew the words. The intensity of the show wrung tears from my friend and me several times. Glancing around, I saw tissues dabbing at eyes everywhere.  
 
And then Paul played Blackbird. 

Alone on a darkened stage, he fingered the acoustic guitar with utmost confidence. He knew the brains in his hands were not going to falter.  I struggled not to sob because it’d shake my own hands that held a phone, capturing the moment for me.  Crisp and pure, each perfect chording became a sweet spear that pierced my heart. 
 
When Paul finished the song and the roars had died back, he asked the audience, “How many of you tried to learn how to play Blackbird?”
 
A surprising number of hands shot up all across the stadium. Maybe one in ten.
 
Paul laughed.  “And you never got it quite right, did you?” he asked.
 
We all laughed with him.  It was true.  Even though I’d worn out a record learning, I had caught a few notes in the songwriter’s performance that differed from my own version.
 
But "Blackbird" isn't a song about perfection.  It's about having broken wings and still being able to fly.

​

Dedicated to Jeannette Bolte, who made the experience possible (and was the perfect concert companion), and to Bill Morrison, who sacrificed his own concert ticket to me in the interest of journalism! 

​Artist Cindy Easterling creates kiln glass works that reflect the beauty of life on the Gulf Coast.
​
- Story by ​Rheta Grimsley Johnson, photos by Rheta Grimsley Johnson and Cindy Easterling
​

​The motion of the ocean is reflected in the glass that has become Cindy’s passion, an art she perfects in a shed where kiln space is divided with rakes and shovels. The shed/studio is behind her old pink house near the beach in Pass Christian. The house looks like a beach house should, not some brick McMansion but a wooden relic that has withstood a lot and earned its defects.
 
“That’s why I chose it,” she says.
 
Her grandfather’s house in the Pass, where Cindy spent many happy childhood days, was heavily damaged in Camille, and her great-grandfather’s house destroyed. But that did not dampen her enthusiasm for the coast. Buying an old house in the same town appealed to both Cindy and her engineer husband, Bob, who loves to sail.

 
But right now they divide their time between the Pass and St. Louis, where her architecture business and Bob’s job and elderly mother keep them anchored. They hope someday to live full-time on the coast, and they plan their lives around that eventuality.
 
Cindy’s work has become increasingly popular all over the coast, and its distinctive transluscence and sea glass colors make it instantly identifiable. Some would say recognizable work is the mark of genius, like a Willie Nelson upbeat riff, or a Walter Anderson swirl.
 
Her fused glass work, also called kiln glass, began about seven years ago when she took classes from a neighbor at Craft Alliance Gallery in St. Louis.
 

​ 
“But it all really began in college with a bottle cutter,” she insists. That bottle cutter stayed on a shelf for more than 30 years until an empty nest and self-employment -- after years in the corporate rat race -- let her pursue her art again.
 
A New Orleans native, Cindy graduated from Newcomb College of Tulane University. She was in a fine arts curriculum but her father insisted that her degree must be in something “practical” enough to support herself, need be, so she finished in architecture as a kind of compromise.

Now, with time and the Mississippi Gulf as inspiration, she makes plates, vases, dishes, platters, ornaments and other glass delectibles, using American or recycled glass. They are both functional and decorative, but all beautiful. “I love the play and interaction of light on glass.”
​
​She likes to be able to see through the pieces, so usually at least two layers of flat glass are cut and fused together at high temperatures to add strength. Decorative flourishes can be more glass – descriptively called stringers, frits and confetti – or gold, silver, copper or other metals.
 
“The first thing that I do every morning is open my blinds and look out at the water, trees and clouds. It is different every day, and I never get tired of looking at the view.”
 ​

​ 
Her house designs through the years also spawned another hobby. Cindy hopes to compile a book of photographs she made of homes in the Pass before Katrina, which now can be found on her note cards.
 
Those photographs, she says, “are an outgrowth of looking through the lens at details” and different views of the homes she designed and the old homes she loves.
 
It pleases Cindy no end when her art projects find “a good home,” and other people see in her work the ocean, the sand and the vegetation of the area she loves.

This specially themed Second Saturday artwalk in July - Frida Fest - celebrates the birthday of iconic artist Frida Kahlo with an extraordinary costume contest and a fiesta of other special happenings!  
- stories by Caroline St. Paul, photos by Caroline St. Paul and Ellis Anderson

​100 Men D.B.A. Hall
303 Union St.
Bay St. Louis, MS 39520
415. 336.9543
​Website

When Rachel Dangermond bought the historic 100 Men D.B.A. Hall last July, she intended on using it to hold writing workshops, until she began to understand its many layers of history. After being closed for five years, “The Hall” needed someone dedicated to resurrect it, and that’s just what she did, and is continuing to do, almost a year later.
 
The 100 Men D.B.A. Hall was started by a group of African-American men in 1894 during a time in which “dark forces in society” were working against them. Dangermond explains, “For three generations, it became an energy center in this community.” Fast-forward to 2019, and the hall is being shared with an even larger community and is continuing to make its history.
​

An African-American landmark on the Mississippi Blues Trail, The 100 Men D.B.A. Hall is located at the edge of the historic district at 303 Union Street, across the railroad tracks from the Train Depot. This nonprofit raises funds to preserve and maintain the hall. It is available for rental for events, and there is always a full schedule of exciting activities, which can be found at https://www.the100menhall.com/.
 
The mission of The 100 Men D.B.A. Hall has three parts. First, share the story of “The Hall” and narrate its history, because it is very important and unique to this area. Second, present live music. “We consider that a sacred act for which the hall was built,” Dangermond explains. Musical events are held often, always thanks to a helpful sponsor. In turn, the Hall provides community events that are always free, such as Open Mic Night, which is held on the fourth Thursday of every month.
 
The last part of the mission is to gather the community. “This hall was built for the African-American community, and the African-American community is very important to the history and the telling of the history of the hall, and is very important to our mission as well,” says Dangermond. “However, it’s also important that we gather the community from all different segments and all different areas under one roof.”
 ​

Community engagement is vital for the success of “The Hall.” Throughout her time of owning the 100 Men D.B.A. Hall, Rachel has had a lot of support. “I think everybody in this community loves this hall and wants to see it succeed,” she says.
 
The 100 Men D.B.A. Hall is an “ongoing work in progress,” says Dangermond, for which there are big plans in the future. Looking ahead to Labor Day weekend is “The Hall’s” first annual festival, Booker Fest, celebrating the music of New Orleans rhythm and blues keyboardist James Booker.
 
For Second Saturday Art Walk on July 13, the 100 Men D.B.A. Hall will be hosting the Frida Fest after-party. Alexey Marti, a Cuban percussionist and his Latin band will be playing, there will be Cuban food available for purchase, lots of costumes, and even more fun. The party begins at 9 p.m. and tickets are available in advance on the website, or for $5 more at the door. It is sure to be the perfect wrap up for a big festival like Frida Fest! Make sure to support The 100 Men D.B.A. Hall.
​

bijoubel
136 Main St.
Bay St. Louis, MS 39520
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​bijoubel, owned by Melissa Hamilton, is a fashion boutique that sells fashion jewelry, clothing, and other accessories. In March, the shop moved to 136 Main Street.
 
Hamilton began her business inside of Century Hall. After two years she moved inside of the Maggie May building, where she spent almost five years. Although she does miss the influence of the other shop owners with whom she shared space, Hamilton is enjoying the new location immensely.

bijoubel carries Catherine Popesco and Marianna jewelry, both of which are made from Swarovski crystals; their own jewelry line, called Ava Kate, Renaldo, which features a bracelet of the month and meaningful messages in each one; and My Saint My Hero.
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​The store also carries very affordable samples and closouts from Joan Vass, a high-end clothing line. Nothing in this line is over $40, making it a steal.
 
“We’ve always tried to offer affordable pricing,” Hamilton explains. She likes the fact that mothers can feel comfortable going into bijoubel with their daughters because they can afford to buy them something without guilt. Customers are also never afraid to tell Hamilton what they want.
 
Hamilton’s favorite parts of being in Bay St. Louis are the people and the culture. “We can all come together and be a part of one community,” she replies. She also loves the fact that you can feel free to be yourself here.
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For the July 13 Second Saturday Art Walk, bijoubel will be featuring three local artists on the back porch of the shop and a live band in the back garden. There will also be Mexican food to complement the theme of Frida Fest. Music is sponsored by Hancock Whitney Bank, The First, and The Peoples Bank.

​Make sure to visit bijoubel as a “hot spot” all month!
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Get ready for a weekend of great food, music and a "no-bull" fun run complete with roller derby girls -- all for a very worthy cause.
- Story by Lisa Monti, photos by Lionel Haynes, Jr. 

Prizes will be presented to the winners, and a DJ will play music for dancing throughout the evening. As part of the evening’s tip of the hat to Hemingway, Cigars in the Pass will host an outdoor cigar lounge complete with an air-conditioned cigar store trailer.

 
The Paris café setting also will feature a four-course “Moveable Feast” along with libations paired with each course. The menu is a secret, but everything will be French and expertly prepared by the Rum Kitchen. Chef Chappy and Starr Chapman are original sponsors of the Hemingway Festival, and it was their idea for the museum’s main fundraiser and to draw attention to the Coleman Avenue downtown district. Said Starr, “We invite everyone to ‘Live the full life.’”
 
A special part of Friday evening will be a live auction. “You can’t go to Paris and not have art,” Donna said. New Orleans auctioneer Sam Bell makes his Hemingway Festival debut this year, auctioning off original works of art.
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One is an original acrylic of a French café scene by local artist Scharonne Herrington, who also is painting the backdrop for the bistro setting. Other pieces of artwork, framed and authenticated, were donated by a benefactor and will be revealed at the auction. Proceeds from the auction will go to the artist and the museum.
 
The festival fun spills over into Saturday, which is designed as a fun family day, with another new feature this year. All of the high school students in the county were invited to participate in a literary contest that required them to research and write a story set in Hemingway's Paris of the 1920s. Winners will read their original pieces starting at 4 pm, and prizes will be awarded.
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On Saturday, July 20, the Before, During and After Party gets started at 6 pm with the DJ, food and beverages, then at 7 pm the festival’s signature parade will take to Coleman Avenue.
 
Look for decorated golf carts and representatives of the Krewe of Nereids, the Mystic Krewe of Seahorse and the ever entertaining Bay Ratz Marching Battery.
 
7:30 pm marks the start time of the 1.1-mile “No Bull Fun Run” featuring the New Orleans Brass Roller Derby Club, who will do their best to “tap out” the runners to eliminate them from the race. “It’s a fun run, Mississippi Gulf Coast style,” Donna said. “It’s so much fun to watch.”
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Tickets for the July 19 Patron Party are $70 per person and $120 per couple. Tickets for the July 20 activities are $25 per person.
 
All the money for the Friday and Saturday festival events pays for special projects at the museum, which is dedicated to the resilience of the Coast’s residents and does not charge an admission fee.
 
This year the museum received Mississippi Gulf Coast National Heritage matching funds to produce a video collection of oral histories by Katrina survivors. The video will be unveiled on the August 29, anniversary of the hurricane, and a permanent exhibit will be added later this year.
 
“We invite everyone to come out and enjoy the festivities, which grow every year,” said Donna. “This is the only Hemingway Festival in this area, and it’s for a good cause.”
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This scientist has made a career of mapping the ocean floor, while creating art from the fascinating creatures who lives there, using the ancient craft of gyotaku.

- Story by Steve Barney

​Holly has always been fascinated by creatures in the water. She grew up in Michigan and spent her childhood on the water where her father owned a bait shop on the shore of Lake St. Clair. 
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​Later, she studied marine science at Coastal Carolina University. It was in college at a job fair where she learned about the work going on at the Naval Oceanographic Office based at Stennis Space Center, on the Mississippi coast.
NAVOCEANO is the largest subordinate command within the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, and has a fleet of six state-of-the-art research vessels collecting data to support military and civilian mariners.
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“When I learned about NAVOCEANO, I was sold,” Holly says. “I packed my bags and moved to Mississippi. I wanted to be on those ships and spend my life at sea.”

Holly is a hydrographer, and she maps the sea floor by using specialized SONAR devices. SONAR uses acoustic “pings” which bounce off the sea floor, and then she measures the echos. The measurements provide the raw data used to compile detailed nautical charts. 
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Today, Holly uses a sophisticated R2 Sonic 2024, a high resolution multibeam sounder, with full coverage over the sea floor. Much of Holly’s time is spent looking at a computer screen and analyzing streams of data. Sometimes the unexpected appears on Holly’s computer screen, including uncharted shipwrecks and plane crashes, artificial reefs and debris fields. Holly marvels at the local ecosystems that attract marine life of all sorts.

She looks forward to going out to sea where her creative passion comes alive. Holly learned the technique of Gyotaku from boyfriend Scott Johnson. Johnson used to be a “Hell Diver.” He still enjoys free diving under oil rigs to spear fish and then prints them on rice paper with sumi ink.

Holly walks the beach a lot on the hunt for freshly killed fish. “I look at the eyeballs and see how fresh they are, and give them the sniff test,” Holly said.

Recently, Holly began offering live demonstrations of fish printing at the seasonal Mr. Atticus Night Market sponsored by the Mockingbird Café and The Arts, Hancock County. Public demonstrations in an uncontrolled environment offers Holly a host of challenges. 
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Holly explains, “The fish I had was on ice overnight and it’s necessary to wait until the surface moisture stops condensing, or else the water smears the ink.
“Once it’s the right temperature and the condensation stops on the surface. I stuff the gills with a paper towel to prevent water seeping out. I pin the fins out so they don’t lay against the fish’s body to ensure a good print off the fish.”

In May 2019, Holly participated in the “Under the Flower Moon” experience at La Terre Bioregional Center and Art Studios in Kiln, Mississippi.  Along with her fish prints and live Gyotaku demonstration, Holly created a site installation bringing the ocean to the woods.

“When jellyfish are swimming together it is called a bloom,” she said. “I wanted to create a magical scene with jellyfish bobbing in the wind.”

To create the jellyfish sculptures, Holly “upholstered” plastic bowls and used ribbons and beads as tentacles attached to mini Slinkies with battery powered fairy lights. The installation was breathtaking.
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Ann Madden, vice president of The Arts, Hancock County, said, “Holly’s illuminated jellyfish were so dreamlike and magical, it made you wonder if you were on land or undersea. Her artistry, composition and colors are so beautiful and interesting.” 

Madden added, “Holly marries art and science in a simple but sophisticated way that creates a wide appeal. She is generous with her time and expertise and is one of the loveliest, most approachable artists I know.”
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In 2014, Holly purchased Lil’ Tuggle II, a tugboat rumored to have sunk in Lake Pontchartrain during Hurricane Katrina. For the last four years, Holly has done a full rebuild and restoration, doing a large portion of the work herself, figuring it out along the way. 
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Holly is passionate about bringing the boat back to life and making it her mobile art studio. Ultimately, Holly’s dream is to take Lil’ Tuggle II on “The Great American Loop”, making a big circle from Mobile Bay up to Chicago, through the Great Lakes, to the Hudson River, and down the eastern seaboard through the intercoastal waterway.
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Along the way, Holly plans to catch fish, paint them (and eat them), then sell her artwork on Etsy. Meanwhile, she’ll be logging hours toward her Captain’s license while living her water world dream.