impressions summer 2010
DESCRIPTION
Summer 2010TRANSCRIPT
Main Street Market restores charm to dining
Mighty and muddy Mississippioffers fascinating mystique
Vicksburg has the rhythm and the blues has Vicksburg
1990 South Frontage Rd., Suite J • Vicksburg, MS Phone 601-883-1983 • Fax 601-883-1938
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is a publication of
publisherPat Cashman
executive editorCharlie Mitchell
managing editorKaren Gamble
presentation editorPaul Barry
writer & photographerLauchlin Fields
graphic designersDavid GirardQuin GearyTina Branan
advertising staffBarney PartridgeVickie Newman
Sheila MantzAngela RossJanet Rantisi
Ashley GatianMichele WillisJeremy Luckett
Karen EtheridgeSusan Mandarino
Allaina Harbin
Vicksburg Impressions is published quarterly to
promote the Vicksburg and sur-rounding area in an informative
and positive manner.We welcome contributions of
articles and photos: however they will be subject to editing, space availability and subject matter. Material may be picked up in our office after publication.
Photographs, comments, ques-tions, and ad placement inquiries
are invited. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without written permission of
the publisher.
office1601 F North Frontage Road
P.O. Box 821668Vicksburg, MS 39182-1668
601-636-4545601-634-0897
[email protected]@[email protected]
On the cover:Neal Antwine of Sounds
Unlimited.
Main Street Market’s Chris Fink– an imaginative chef . . . . . . . . . . 3
Vicksburg continues to celebrateand pay homage to the blues . . . . 18
The Mississippi River – an outstanding natural phenomenon . 10
The area is known as Catfish Row . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
The amazing food and quaint setting aren’t all that keep locals
and tourists coming back for more. It’s also the personal touch
that comes with each greeting and every course that’s served.
Vicksburg has the blues. And, it’s fair to say that the blues
— not just the music, but the rich culture that flows from its
raw melodies — has Vicksburg.
The Sweet Olive sports its South-ern hospitality daily and welcomes passengers from all over the world each year. And, for many, it provides an introduction to Old Man River.
Steamboats and catfish set the theme for Vicksburg’s City Front, where the city’s history and culture come to life through an array of activities and sightseeing delights.
Summer 2010 d 3
Nestled along the Mississippi River, where catfish is king, Vicksburg has long been
known for its cuisine. But, when Chris Fink and Sally Bul-
lard came on the scene about four years ago with Main Street Market, a differ-ent taste began to emerge — a step back to the old charm of dining.
“It’s a sure-enough, old-fashioned mom and pop,” Sally, a Vicksburg native, said of the operation that serves up daily lunches, Monday dinners and special-occasion dining.
After decades in the corporate res-taurant world, the two decided to slow down their fast-paced life together and start what has become one of the River City’s favorite dining treats.
“We’re used to working 80-hour weeks.
Now, when we say, ‘Let’s go to work,’ I can do what I want,” Chris said. “The menu follows the way I feel.”
Each menu is seasoned with tastes from Chris’ New Orleans upbringing. The Cajun-style gumbo and muffalet-tas are often the stars of the daily lunch menu. And, for dinner, guests can count
on prime rib tender enough to cut with a fork — served with mouth-watering au jus and horseradish — to be among an always-changing menu of fine dining and Southern comfort foods. Each dish is served with a choice of homemade soup or salad. Whether it’s the popular fruit salad with fresh ginger dressing, a
Eatin’Out
Main Street Market restores charm to dining
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4 c Summer 2010
Caesar with homemade dressing or any number of daily homemade soup spe-cials, these starters help tune the taste buds. Entrees are prepared fresh daily and are testaments to Chris’ knowing his way around a kitchen. It’s the Cajun-inspired flavor that has drawn former Crescent City resident Kathy Gergo to Chris’ cooking.
“It reminds me of New Orleans cui-sine,” she said while savoring one of his creations. “It’s great to find something like this here.”
Aside from the tasty mainstays, the menu is often inspired by weekly porch gatherings at the Fink Home, where Chris and Sally discuss the next best thing to introduce.
“He’s the most imaginative chef in Vicksburg,” said Ellis Krinitzsky, who dines there regularly with wife Gitta. “This is unique to Vicksburg. The menu changes each week. There’s not any place else where you can get this unique-
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Summer 2010 d 5
ness and imaginativeness. That’s what brings us here.”
Sally and Chris, each the sixth of eight children, were raised in homes with active kitchens, where they both learned to fend for themselves. And, years later, it was in a kitchen where the two met — Chris working his way up as a cook and Sally climbing the corporate res-taurant ladder as a manager. Soon after, they were married, and the couple took Chris’ magic in the kitchen and Sal-ly’s Vicksburg-bred hospitality on the road to restaurants across the Southeast. The fast-paced lifestyle to which the couple had become accustomed began to simmer down, though, when the first of their three children was born.
“We couldn’t do what we wanted to do. We both worked a bajillion hours, and we weren’t able to do the kid thing,” Sally said. “I was getting older and miss-ing out on the fun part of being a mama.
It was the urging of Betty Bullard, Sal-ly’s spritely, 83-year-old mother, that Chris Fink and Sally Bullard outside Main Street Market
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landed them the Vicksburg gig. Betty Bullard, who owns Vicksburg’s George Wash-ington Ball House, is a sort of local legend and, perhaps, known best for running the former Harrison House, a tea room and antique store.
It was a similar concept that started the ball rolling for Betty Bullard’s newest venture.
“We said, ‘We’re willing to do this with the terms that (Chris) is allowed to get loose in the kitchen,’” Sally said of the restaurant’s beginnings. “So, she did. The business has grown. It’s completely different from what it was at inception.”
Instead of following the blue print of Mrs. Bull-ard’s prized tea room, Chris wanted to put more of his
personal flavor into his cook-ing. And, knowing the basics of what tastes good and being able to “play with recipes” is what Sally says gives her husband his signature way of cooking.
“There’s more than one way to get from A to B,” he said. “Knowing how to do that and taking the food and putting it on a production line — that’s really my niche.”
The rest of the operation has become more of a family affair with a little help from the Fink children, 14-year-old Ridley, 12-year-old Bergeron and 6-year-old Michael. The venue has also become home to some of the Bullard mother-and-daugh-ter team’s well-known sweet treats and baked goods.
“People know Betty’s thing, Chef Chris Fink
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Summer 2010 d 7
but we’re not that same restaurant,” Chris said. “What we want to do and what this has to come back to is this is a family business.”
Twelve tables fill the two main rooms of the restaurant, decorated with antiques, quilts and food items for sale. The ambiance is warm and inviting as Sally greets customers and seats them. On Monday evenings, it’s reservation-only and the only night the restau-rant serves up Chris’ “simply Southern, creatively Cajun” treats. Mondays, for many, have become Main Street Market night. The restaurant is typically filled to capacity with a table assigned to each group — and no “turning over tables,” a typical and unwelcoming gesture Chris and Sally say is just one of the many peeves of corporate restaurants they have altered to fit the needs of their customers.
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hate to wait,” Chris said.The amazing food and quaint setting
isn’t all that keeps locals and tourists coming back for more. It’s also the per-sonal touch that comes with each greet-ing and every course that’s served.
“I touch every single person that walks in that door. I touch every guest — or someone in this family speaks and deals with every person,” Sally said. “We don’t
miss a chance. And, that’s back to the style of what mom and pops are.”
Four burners and an oven is all Chris uses to create his masterpieces, all of which he makes from scratch.
“There’s nothing we buy other than the ham, and it’s a real ham,” he said. “Those are some of the small details people may not notice.”
But, Sally disagrees.
“I feel they do notice. It’s what put us on the map,” she said.
That is certainly true for regular Kathy Keathley, who often drives from her home of Gulfport to check out what’s cooking on Main Street.
“I always come for lunch. It’s some-thing different. They have such good choices, and I love the building — how it’s staged,” she said.
Prime rib, left, and Apricot Pavlova
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Summer 2010 d 9
One way Chris judges whether a dish is well-received is by what does — or does not — come back to the kitchen after a plate is served.
“I judge my food by what I see coming back,” he said. “We have one regular, small garbage can. Most restaurants have dumpsters, but we have one can. I pride myself on that.”
Although the restaurant’s rapid success could make for an expansion down the line, Chris and Sally are happy with the way busi-ness is going and the people they’ve come to know.
“We grew our group of people — people who know us a little bit. We’ve gotten a really good group. It’s the group we wanted to get,” Chris said. “We get to do things a lot of people don’t get to do. That’s success.”
Regular Diane Provance said she wants that success to continue so she can keep enjoying the dining experience.
“To me, this is Vicksburg — what it’s sup-posed to be... what it used to be,” she said.
Story & photos by Lauchlin Fields
Main Street Market, 920 Main St., in Vicksburg is open for lunch Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. For Monday night dinner, reservations are available from 5 to 8 p.m. Private events may be scheduled Tuesdays through Saturdays. To make res-ervations, call 601-634-8088. To check out daily lunch and weekly dinner menus, visit www.mainstreetmarketcafe.com.
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On the
Summer 2010 d 11
On the River
12 c Summer 2010
The Mighty Mississippi River carries with its steady and sometimes furious stream a
certain mystique. It’s the subject of many tales, both tall and true, and it provides, undoubtedly, the most sought-after views in all of Vicksburg.
Seeing it is one thing. Experiencing it is another.
Since 2003, the Jones Family has offered a true Mississippi River expe-rience with their riverboat tours. They wanted people from all over to experi-ence the beauty that flows in their city’s backyard.
“We felt the city needed a riverboat ride. It was the most frequent request tourists had,” said Ann Biedenharn Jones.
In June 2003, Ann and her husband, Jimmy Jones, and their two grown chil-dren, Liz Porter Curtis and Jim Jones, started their riverboat business, Missis-sippi River Tours.
Since, the 54-foot pontoon boat they purchased and had trucked down from New Jersey has been cruising up and down Vicksburg’s riverfront, offering locals and visitors a ride through history and a closer look at the often mysterious Father of Waters.
The family decided the 49-passen-ger boat would need a Southern name to convey its new role.
“Magnolias are overdone, and we all have always loved sweet olives, so we named it the Sweet Olive instead,” Ann Jones said.
The Sweet Olive sports its Southern hospitality daily and has welcomed hun-dreds of passengers from all over the world each year. And, for many, it pro-
vides an introduction to Old Man River. “Just being on the water — a lot of
people don’t have that opportunity,” said First Mate Jim Jones, who acts as tour guide for all of the boat tours.
In 2009, Mississippi River Tours had 175 tours for individuals and private parties and 112 tours for school groups.
Every tour is led by a licensed river pilot and guided by Jim Jones, who pro-vides his passengers with interesting tid-bits about the river and Vicksburg’s col-orful past.
The 10 miles of river that the Sweet Olive typically cruises — from the Yazoo Diversion Canal at City Front to
Mighty and muddy Mississippi offers fascinating mystique
The Sweet Olive makes its way on the Yazoo Diversion Canal.
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Summer 2010 d 13
the Mississippi River Bridge and back — is often the venue for private par-ties, weddings, family reunions and even funerals.
The boat also plays host to school groups from across the state through-out the year. In 2008, Mississippi River Tours teamed up with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Qual-ity, which provides grant funding to put public school groups of third- through 12th-graders out on the river. The pro-gram’s focus on non-point source pol-lution was developed to educate stu-dents about the effects of pollution on the river.
“We try to get the kids to think about the environment,” Jim Jones said.
The tours, which last a little more than an hour, provide all passengers with a lesson on the environment. Since the Mississippi River is the third largest river in the world, it is home to 260 species of fish, 32 of which are catfish, Jim Jones said. It is also on the Missis-
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14 c Summer 2010
sippi Flyway, which is the main route for 45 percent of America’s migratory birds.
“We see ducks, geese, storks, peli-cans, sea gulls, and sometimes we even see a bald eagle,” Jim Jones said of his view from the tour boat.
The boat is on the river almost year-round with the exception of some of the winter months when temps — and attendance — are low. When the river is high and fresh off a spring swell, the route changes slightly and doesn’t
include the usual Mississippi River Bridge limbo.
When waters are too high, the Sweet Olive takes an alternate route, which pro-vides views of Fort Hill, an area occupied by Confederate soldiers during the Ameri-can Civil War. The route also gives a glimpse of the Vicks-burg National Cemetery and a look at the Vicksburg Campaign from a naval per-spective, Jim Jones said. For those visiting Vicksburg for its Civil War history, this tour is a rare treat.
“I always knew what hap-pened here,” Jim Jones said of the history that he spouts off almost as though he’d lived it. “I started reading up on it more, so, when people start asking questions, I will have an answer.”First Mate Jim Jones tells passengers about the river.
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16 c Summer 2010
If he doesn’t, by some chance, have an answer, though, he turns people on to the city’s other resources, such as the Old Court House Museum and Vicks-burg National Military Park, gems for Civil War buffs with inquiring minds.
After seven years of being on the river, Jim Jones said he is still surprised by the “vast” seasonal changes.
“I’m amazed,” he said. As the summer continues to heat up,
sandbars will begin to pop out of the river as the water level drops. The Sweet Olive’s busiest season is during these summer months, when the boat offers at least one trip a day and evening sunset cruises. The sunset tours include, per-haps, some of the best views across the River City as the sweltering sun paints a reflection across the water’s surface and slowly lowers itself over Louisiana trees.
“It will turn really clear and pretty in late summer,” Jim Jones said of the ever-changing river.
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Summer 2010 d 17
That’s quite a change from the way the water appears to passengers in spring, he added.
“In the spring, it’s muddy as the devil with whole trees running down it,” he said. “You always see something differ-ent out there.”
No matter what the season, it’s the river and the surprises it brings that lure people to it.
“The Mississippi River is the most out-standing natural phenomenon in the U.S.,” Ann Jones said. “People come to the area wanting to come out on the river.”
People from every state and nearly every country have flocked to Vicksburg to take a ride and see for themselves.
“It’s just something people are kind of hungry to do,” Ann Jones said.
For Teresa and Ralph Riley and their 15-year-old son, Kyle, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience they couldn’t pass up. The family, from McKinney, Texas, put the river tour on their summer to-do list. While they had stopped in Vicksburg on their way to the beach before, it was their first time on the Mis-sissippi River.
“It’s fun. I like the historic feeling. It’s beautiful,” Kyle said.
Jim Jones said he likes to keep the mood light on the Sweet Olive. Missis-sippi blues or jazz plays in the back-ground as a sort of soundtrack to the river that runs the route those legendary musicians traveled.
While the Sweet Olive is mostly cov-ered, passengers do have a chance to walk to the front of the boat to see the river up close.
“They can sit out on the front and just be with the river,” Jim Jones said. “I don’t like to talk the whole time. I hit the highlights and the interesting points. It’s not about me. It’s about the river.”
Story & photos by Lauchlin Fields
Mississippi River Tours ScheduleSunset cruises on the Sweet Olive are offered Monday through Saturday at
7 p.m. through Aug. 14. The boat must have at least 15 passengers to cruise. To reserve a spot, call 601-883-1083. For more information, visit www.msrivertours.com.
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Summer 2010 d 19
Vicksburg has the rhythm. And, it’s fair to say that the
blues — not just the music, but the rich culture that flows from its raw melodies — has Vicksburg.
Long before Vicksburg-bred blues legend Willie Dixon put the “wang-dang-doodle” in the music he famously proclaimed to be the root of it all, the River City was flowing with the sounds that Mississippi proudly mothered.
The state is, after all, the “Birthplace of America’s Music,” a slogan that now welcomes visitors as they cross state
It’s a whole other culture,
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Casey Gordon & Tamra Miller at the April VAMP meeting
20 c Summer 2010
lines into the land where legendary soul-selling Robert Johnson and hip-shaking Elvis Presley took their first breaths.
The hills and hollows of Vicksburg certainly can stake claim to several sig-nificant performers, venues and hap-penings that add to the overall blues story.
Dixon’s story began in Vicksburg on Crawford Street and, later, on Open-wood Street, where he honed his love of both words and music. As a teen, he headed out for bigger things and landed himself the title “poet laureate of the blues” and found himself at the fore of the Chicago blues scene. In addition to performing, he also penned songs per-formed by music giants in both the blues and rock ’n’ roll genres.
This city also is home to other music pioneers, such as jazz bassist Milton “The Judge” Hinton. Historic Marcus Bottom, an area between Confederate Avenue and Halls Ferry Road, carries a legacy for being home to many juke joints where jazz and blues performers from all over came to play.
Vicksburg, at the foot of the Mis-
sissippi Delta, is also prominently located on U.S. 61, known now as America’s blues highway, where guitar-toting leg-ends traveled what in the 1960s became known as the Chitlin’ Circuit from New Orleans to Chi-cago to find gigs in their heyday.
That trail, called the Mississippi Blues Trail, is clearly marked, noting the whos, whens and wheres that helped carve the history of the music that still has people beguiled.
Vicksburg, home to four blues mark-ers, continues to cel-ebrate and pay homage to the people and the
Vicksburg’s Sounds Unlimited takes to
the stage of L.D.’s Kitchen, above. At
right, guitarist Billy Jones feels the blues.
Summer 2010 d 21
sounds that began in the cotton fields and moved into the juke joints and clubs around the state.
Shirley Waring, president of the Vicksburg Blues Society and Vicks-burg Heritage League, said, while she celebrates all forms of music from this state, she definitely carries the blues flag. And she is doing her best to make sure Vicksburg becomes a destination known for the blues.
“I may have been born yesterday, but I stayed up all night with the blues,” she said, trying on her newest slogan pro-moting Vicksburg’s musical culture.
“I’ve always really, really loved it,” she said of the music. “It makes you feel so passionate. It’s a comfort, a way to express your deepest feelings. The blues to me is a memory that you cannot forget. It’s something you carry in your heart.”
Vicksburg is right in line with the state’s mission to bring people from all over to see — and hear — the music
and culture of the blues.“Gov. (Haley) Bar-
bour realizes that music is one of Mississippi’s most important exports,” Waring said.
She believes it’s only natural to develop a way to celebrate Vicksburg’s blues legacy. One way of doing that is to pro-vide venues for live blues music in the River City.
L.D.’s Kitchen, nes-tled in the newly devel-oped City Front area across from the River-front Murals, is one such venue that’s working to keep the blues alive in Vicksburg.
“L.D.’s fits in to being an original, authentic Mississippi juke,” Waring said.
Ernest Allen of Sounds
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22 c Summer 2010
Owner Larry “L.D.” Prentiss has been serving up savory food, including his award-winning macaroni ‘n’ cheese, in the same location for 17 years. It wasn’t until about two years ago, though, that the blues joined the menu every Tues-day night.
He’s been working with the local blues society to consistently offer a venue for blues musicians to play and for blues enthusiasts to listen. Other nightspots throughout Vicksburg are following suit.
“People just love the blues,” said Prent-iss, a self-proclaimed music-lover.
Neal Antwine, a local blues musician and member of Sounds Unlimited fea-turing Soul Idenatee, performs regularly on the L.D.’s stage. He and his band-mates, all from Vicksburg, have been on the scene off and on for 30 years. For a while, he said, it was tough to land gigs close to home.
Vocalists Delisa Butler and Wanda Brown of Soul Idenatee.
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Summer 2010 d 23
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“We go wherever they pay us,” he said. “Very few venues attract blues music.”
It is his group’s mission, along with that of the Vicksburg Blues Society, of which Antwine is a member, to change that.
“We are trying to generate live music back here, where people don’t have to go outside Vicksburg to get good music,” he said. “We’re trying to bring live music back.”
The band is part of L.D.’s first and third Tuesday night lineup. Another group, the Blue Monday Band, featur-ing Kind Edward, plays the second and fourth Tuesday. The Vicksburg Heritage League publishes a monthly arts and entertainment guide to alert locals and visitors of any and all opportunities to hear live music, blues and otherwise.
“We want to galvanize this effort, so we can regularly be recognized for having live music,” Waring said.
While live music is at the fore of the effort, it’s not just about the sounds of the blues that make Vicksburg shine. Waring said a Vicksburg Blues Trail, a sort of blues pilgrimage, is in the works and will include music venues, as well as art galleries, restaurants and even grave-sights of some of the well-known local contributors to the blues culture here.
“There is an international demand for what we have here,” Waring said.
Blues LinksMississippi Blues Trail
www.msbluestrail.orgVicksburg Heritage League www.vicksburgheritage.comVicksburg Blues Society
www.vicksburgheritage.com/vbs.htm
Story & photos by Lauchlin Fields
Owner Larry “L.D.” Prentiss stands inside L.D.’s Kitchen, below.
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Vicksburg Blues and Entertainment Schedule
Monthly entertainment schedules can be found at www.vicksburgheritage.com.
Tuesdays• Live Blues Music at L.D.’s Kitchen — First and Third Tuesday; Sounds Unlimited fea-turing Soul Idenatee; L.D.’s Kitchen, 1111 Mulberry St.; 8 p.m. to midnight; 601-218-1115.• Live Blues Music at L.D.’s Kitchen — Second and Fourth Tuesday; Blue Monday Band featuring King Edward, Pat Brown, Dennis Fountain and Abdul Rasheed; L.D.’s Kitchen, 1111 Mulberry St.; begins 8:30 p.m.; 601-218-1115.
Wednesdays• Live Music by Ben Shaw — Roca Restau-rant & Bar, 127 Country Club Drive; 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.; 601-638-0800.• Biscuits & Jam — Jam session and open mic; Eddie Monsour’s at the Biscuit Com-pany, 1100 Washington St.; 8 p.m. to mid-night; 601-638-1571.• Karaoke and Open Mic — L.D.’s Kitchen, 1111 Mulberry St.; begins 7 p.m.; 601-218-1115.
• Karaoke — Jacques’ Sports Lounge & Bar at the Battlefield Inn, 4137 S. Frontage Road; be-gins at 9 p.m.; 601-638-5811.
Thursdays• Karaoke — Jacques’ Sports Lounge & Bar at the Battlefield Inn, 4137 S. Frontage Road; be-gins at 9 p.m.; 601-638-5811.• Live Music — Eddie Monsour’s at the Biscuit Company, 1100 Wash-ington St.; 8 p.m. to mid-night; 601-638-1571.
Fridays• Karaoke — Jacques’ Sports Lounge & Bar at the Battlefield Inn, 4137 S. Frontage Road; begins at 9 p.m.; 601-638-5811.• Live Music — Beechwood Restaurant & Lounge, 4451 Clay St.; begins 9:15 p.m.; Cover; 601-636-3761.
Saturdays• Karaoke — Jaques Sports Lounge & Bar at the Battlefield Inn, 4137 S. Frontage
Road; begins at 9 p.m.; 601-638-5811.• Live Music — Beechwood Restaurant & Lounge, 4451 Clay St.; begins at 9:15 p.m.; Cover; 601-636-3761.
Sundays• Every Third Sunday — Back Porch Music; Mississippi Old Time Music Society Band; Mississippi Welcome Center, 4210 S. Wash-ington St.; 1-4 p.m.; 601-638-4269.
Information collected by the Vicksburg Heritage League
Summer 2010 d 25
26 c Summer 2010
Steamboats and catfish set the theme for Vicksburg’s City Front, where the city’s his-
tory and culture come to life through an array of activities and sightsee-ing delights. The area, which fronts the entrance to the Yazoo Diversion Canal and, ultimately, the Mississippi River, is a destination for locals and visitors looking to brighten their day and learn something in the process.
The area has been known loosely as Catfish Row since writer David L. Cohn proclaimed in 1935 that the Missis-sippi Delta “begins in the lobby of the Peabody Hotel in Memphis and ends on Catfish Row in Vicksburg.” During that time, City Front, one of the city’s most historic areas, was bustling with cat-fish shanties, streetcars and other river-related activities. It was the docking site for steamboats, which were the back-bone of area river and rail commerce until about a century ago.
•While no sign deems it Catfish Row, it
is clear, based on the historical signifi-
cance of the area, that Cohn used this moniker for the area between Mulberry and Levee streets. Here’s a look at some of what Catfish Row offers now:
Vicksburg Riverfront MuralsThirty-two historical murals and one
modern, abstract mural line the flood-wall along City Front, giving a glimpse of Vicksburg’s colorful past. The chron-ological depictions, painted by Loui-siana artist Robert Dafford, cover the historical events, influential people and local industry that have made Vicks-burg. The brightly colored mural, painted by local artist Martha Ferris,
combines themes depicting Vicksburg’s overall story and is tied to Dafford’s mural through panels designed by the two artists. The community project, led by a committee of volunteers and spon-sored by local businesses, took nearly a decade to complete. To keep visitors engaged in the overall area, the murals are tied together by colorful fish that swim across the pavement to the Art Park at Catfish Row.
The Art Park at Catfish Row and Splash Fountain
The 70,000-square-foot catfish-
Out front
City’s door to the river offers blues, market, fun
Monday-Friday 7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. • Saturday 8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.1700 Hwy 61 North • 601-636-8999
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Summer 2010 d 27
themed park capitalizes on the histori-cal and cultural significance of the City Front area by bringing together catfish and steamboat themes. Parts from the Sprague, a record-setting sternwheeler that was a downtown attraction until it burned in 1974, were used to create a play area backed by a soundtrack of steamboat whistles.
Restrooms, a stage and a splash foun-tain, which sprays water from the ground and from catfish-shaped noz-zles, are all part of the unique park. The art, displayed through 125 art panels painted by local children, helps give the park an even more personal touch.
The Playground at Catfish RowAnother community-led effort that
adds to the tapestry of activity at City Front is the Playground at Catfish Row, constructed by hundreds of volunteers and a construction company whose employees oversaw the work. Sponsored by Junior Auxiliary of Vicksburg, the playground is on Mulberry Street across the street from the Art Park at Catfish Row. The majority of the equipment was put together in a one-week community blitz. The riverboat-themed playground has slides, an obstacle course, fire pole, cradle climber and rubber bridge.
L.D.’s KitchenThe smell of catfish and the sounds of
Mississippi blues waft from the doors of L.D.’s Kitchen on Mulberry Street. The restaurant and Tuesday night blues haven adds some liveliness to the already bustling area. L.D.’s is owned by Larry “L.D.” Prentiss who renovated his business of almost 20 years to fit the needs of the growing tourist area.
Vicksburg Farmers’ MarketA new — and fresh — addition to the
area is the seasonal Vicksburg Farmers’ Market, open each Wednesday and Sat-urday through Aug. 28. About 25 ven-dors set up tents or sell from the backs
of trucks each Saturday, while a smaller number sells wares each Wednesday.
Rain or shine, the market offers local produce hand-picked by area farmers, as well as baked goods, gardening tips, fresh flowers and occasional live music by locals. Market hours are Saturday mornings from 8 to 11 and Wednesday afternoons from 4 to 7.
Story & photos by Lauchlin Fields
The Vicksburg Farmers’ Market is open on Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings through August.
The Playground at Catfish Row.
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2010 Community Coalition Appreciation and Recognition Luncheon
The Make A Promise Coalition for a Drug-Free Warren County founded in 2002 held its annual appreciation luncheon on May 19 at the Dr. William K. Purks YMCA in Vicksburg. The luncheon recognized coalition members and community partners who
have made a difference in our community. The mission of the coalition is to have a unified system of community members and service providers organized around the need to provide substance-abuse prevention measures.
Mary Ruth Galtney, left, and Beth Maggio, right, present the Law Enforcement Agency Award to Maryam Husband of the Warren County Drug Court.
Eric Abbott is presented a Special Recognition Award.
Assistant District Attorney Dewey Arthur accepts the Govern-ment Partner Award for the 9th Circuit DA’s Office.
Barbara Tolliver accepts the Community Partner Award for the United Way of West Central Mississippi.
28 c Summer 2010
Vicksburg Dance Studio presents an
Aladdin-themed recital
Attending the VGSA Opening Ceremony were, from left, Pam Mitchell, Ron Anderson, Mayor Paul Winfield, Lorri Williams, Lee Embry, Jason Smith and Chris McDonald.
Wowing the crowd at the recital were; in the back row: Kelsey Simmons, Jean Marie Mabry, Taylor-Beth Cook, Lauren Proctor and Clara Grace Turner. Front row: Alanna Buckley and Emily Robinson.
Mari-Miller Theobald, Macey Orman and Falyn Lusby danced.
Above, Anna Lamanilao, Carley Pickering and Mary Claire Whitten. Below, Chan-dler Jackson and Lauren Proctor.
Vicksburg Girls Softball Association
Vicksburg ImpressionsVicksburg Impressionsis a quarterly magazinethat keeps readersinformed on the localsocial, art and musicscenes in West CentralMississippi. It also givesyou a view into some ofour area’s mostbeautiful homes and alook at some of our mostfascinating people.
Vicksburg Impressionsprints more than 10,000copies, which are distrib-uted free to local hotelsand businesses. It is amust read for locals, aswell as newcomers andvisitors to our area.
For more information, call your advertising
representativetoday at
The Vicksburg Post,
601-636-4545
