Born on a small Tennessee farm in 1923, Larry Armstrong soon looked for a way to get out from behind his father’s mule and embarked on a life that has taken him all over the world. His experiences included running off to join the circus at a young age, spending time on the southern railroads …
Every Friday night, the Wayne Wilson Trucking Company in the Bellevue community (just west of Hattiesburg) turns into a mecca for country and bluegrass music fans. Turn south on 589 from Highway 98 west of Hattiesburg, then, at a blinking light, turn west on old 24, and go a few miles. You’ll see lots of …
For nearly 20 years folks looking for good music and good food have gravitated towards Sparta, a small town in Chickasaw County in north-central Mississippi. In the early 1990s, a small group of men met in an abandoned house to play music. Now known as the Sparta Opry, with a nod towards country music variety …
The Sebastopol Opry is a locally produced, bimonthly country and bluegrass show. It is presented on the second and fourth Friday of each month in a building in “downtown” Sebastopol (a town of 200 in far northeastern Scott County) and is managed by Joe and Brenda Fairchild. The show is very informal, primarily featuring musicians …
Fresh-baked bread is an essential part of the daily culinary routine in Mexico, where neighborhoods have their own bakeries and neighbors know when bread comes out of the oven each day. The smells of freshly baked bolillos (French rolls) and pan dulce (sweet bread) spill into the street inviting passers-by to peruse the bakery racks. …
As the population of Latin Americans continues to grow in North Mississippi, parishioners at St. James Catholic Church in Tupelo are working to integrate the customs of an English-speaking parish with that of their growing Spanish-speaking neighbors. Thus, on December 10th, 2006, the church hosted a celebration to honor the Mexican tradition of Our Lady …
Each December 12th, the Mexican Catholic community of Scott County celebrates the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe. This celebration commemorates the appearance of Mary to the Mexican peasant Juan Diego in 1531. The feast day is an important holiday in Mexico. It has also become an important day for Mexican Americans to celebrate …
The seafood industry helped to establish Biloxi. While the area was first settled by the French in the early 18th century, Biloxi was primarily a quiet resort community until the late 1800s when several local businessmen opened seafood canning plants. The industry developed during this time due to the establishment of a railroad link to …
On the first and third Saturday of each month, Rodney Joyner and his friends got together in a converted barn on his property near Brandon and put on a live country music show. The Barnyard Opry started in September 1999, when Joyner transformed a livestock barn on his property into a small music theater. Joyner, …
Located north of downtown Vicksburg on old Highway 61, Margaret’s Grocery is a unique vernacular art environment created by Reverend H.D. Dennis. Margaret Rogers Dennis ran the former country store for years. When she met and married Reverend Dennis in the early 1980s, he promised her that he would transform her simple store into a …
