Archived, searchable stories about events open to the public and sponsored by persons or organizations in the local community (such as the museum or Main Street) that: 1. happen on a regularly basis. 2. occur periodically each year, or ticketed events.
“Mississippi BOY CHOIR” coming to Union County Heritage Museum in New Albany, Mississippi, Saturday, April 1, 2023, for two concerts. April 1, 2023 at 1pm and 3pm.
Join us for this amazing choir from all over Mississippi!
2022-2023 marks the 28th Season of Mississippi Boychoir, but the Boychoir tradition began fifteen centuries ago with boys singing in the great cathedrals of western Europe.
Local School Choirs and Church Youth/Children’s Choirs are encouraged to attend this event!
See you at the Museum for this musical memory in the making! Message us for more information or call 662-538-0014.
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Musicians Bill Steber and Libby Rae Watson will be at the Union County Heritage Museum for a live performance on Thursday, December 15, 6:30 until in a closing reception for the Spirit in the Soil Exhibit.
Steber, Nashville photographer, artist and musician has spent the last 30 years photographing Mississippi blues musicians. He also collected bits and pieces of artifacts from locations the blues musicians played and lived.
With these remnants and artifacts he has created portraits of those legendary musicians.
This exhibit at the museum will end in December.
Steber who is an accomplished musician plays the blues along with longtime friend Libby Rae Watson who has also played with and studies under some of the blues greats of the Mississippi delta.
The exhibit has been at the museum since September and will close at the end of December. The public is invited to this free holiday event at the museum in New Albany located at 114 Cleveland Street. For more information call 662-538-0014.
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The traditional visit of Santa at the Museum with crafts is set this Saturday, December 10, from 9 – 12 noon at the museum in New Albany. Santa arrives at 9 a.m. and will leave at 11 a.m. The elves will be on hand to help with Christmas Crafts, and with Santa Science.
The event is free, thanks to the museum’s Community Partners. Bring the kids, have hot chocolate and cookies and visit with Santa. Bring your camera and take photos.
The Historical Northside Garden Club members are helping with this event.
For more information call 662-538-0014. The museum is located at 114 Cleveland Street in New Albany.
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Halloween got an early start in New Albany yesterday evening. While Halloween (a contraction of “All Hallows Eve”) isn’t really until Monday, October 31st, more than a thousand children and adults kicked it off early.
NAFD’s Brady Shettles demonstrates his artistic traffic control moves.
The Thursday evening party stretched from New Albany City Hall all the way south along the Tanglefoot Trail to the Winston County Library. “Trick or Treat Trail” is sponsored by New Albany Main Street and its Community Partners.
Dorothy & Toto have special admirers.
Children and a good many adults dressed up in a variety of costumes and enjoyed “Trick or Treating” downtown and along the trail.
The New Albany Fire Department (NAFD) joined the festivities. Almost every parking space in and near downtown was occupied, some more than once as people came and went. Motor vehicle traffic at Bankhead Street and Railroad Avenue was heavy, so NAFD Fireman Brady Shettles pitched in and directed traffic at the intersection.
The Trick or Treat trail was Mad Hatter Whiteside’s cup of tea.
Fire Chief Mark Whiteside wore a stylish “Mad Hatter” costume, complete with wig and appropriate theatrical make-up. Children enjoyed having their photograph taken with the Chief.
At the Union County Heritage Museum
A few blocks north of downtown, and interpretative art installation, “Articulating Yoknapatawpha: an Exhibit of Kinetic Art,2” opened at the Union County Heritage Museum. Architect Spence Kellum’s exhibit of mobiles drew several dozen art lovers for the reception and costume party. Visitors were encouraged to attend the opening dressed as a favorite literary character.
“Blood Money” by Spence Kellum represents William Faulkner’s manual typewriter and is designed for display in the Faulkner Garden.
The museum’s Stephen Bennett got into both the literary and the Halloween spirit for the Kellum exhibit opening. Bennett wore a ghost costume, which referenced the “ghosts” in William Faulkner’s short story, A Rose for Emily.
There were, of course, no actual ghosts in Faulkner’s story, but many consider it a “Gothic horror story.” Bennett’s “ghost” certainly added a bit of haunting humor to the occasion.
Stephen Bennett as a Faulkner story “ghost” in A Rose for Emily.
The museum had further celebrated Kellum’s exhibit with a day of free classes on the making of mobiles.
A trip to the Union County Heritage Museum in the next two days will reward visitors with two excellent exhibits. Bill Steber’s ‘Spirit in the Soil: Objects and Evocations of the Mississippi Blues’ will also be hanging through November.
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Heritage days at the Union County Heritage Museum are October 20, 21, 22 this year. The annual event brings hundreds to the hands-on living history event for students and families. This is a living history slice of Mississippi History.
This museum event is a history lesson with activities for the young and old. It centers around how they dressed, built their homes, produced and cooked food, played games, music, and more. This event is in its 20th year.
“Thursday, Oct. 20, 9 – 12, is for special needs youth and adults. Friday, Oct. 21, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. is for classes of school children and Saturday, Oct. 22, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. is for families,” said Jill Smith , Museum Director.
Wash day at Pioneer Days.
This event gives children a chance to experience life when people had to physically do hard work on the farm. It also give them a chance to work and play the way children once played. Sack races, games of skill, school yard games and the one-room school, and folk toys are all part of this experience.
Arella Alpaca Farms will participate this year by bringing their animals as well as giving children a chance to create felted soap.
Medicines made by hand, such as sassafras tea, front porch music and heritage crafts are all part of the event. Blacksmithing, basketmaking, yarn spinning, food preservation and other activities, gives a link for festival goers to enjoy life in the past.
Mitch Stone plays folk music for children visiting at Pioneer Days 2019.
It takes many volunteers to make this event successful. “We give a heartfelt thanks to the people who have always supported Pioneer Days by lending a helping hand. Blue Mountain College gives their students the opportunity to help for which we are very grateful,” Smith said. These volunteers and our Community Partners made museum events possible.”
Sawing logs, pioneer style, at the Union Co. Heritage Museum Pioneer Days 2008.
This is a free event made possible by the museum’s Community Partners. The event is weather permitting.
The museum is located at 114 Cleveland Street in New Albany. Call 662-538-0014 for more information.
Jill Smith, Director
Union County Heritage Museum
114 Cleveland Street
New Albany, MS 38652
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The 25th annual Faulkner Literary Competition was celebrated Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022, at a luncheon at the First United Methodist Church in New Albany.
William Cuthbert (Falkner) Faulkner was born 125 years ago today – September 25, 1897 – in New Albany. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature for 1949. He is considered among the most important of all American writers.
The annual New Albany observance during Faulkner’s birth month was first celebrated on his 100th birthday in 1897. This year’s Faulkner Literary Competition drew 352 entries from 10 countries and 43 U.S. states.
Martin Hegwood, First Place Novel
Lynn Madden, chairman of the Faulkner Literary Competition, introduced the guest speaker and announced the winners in categories including the novel, poetry short stories and one-act plays.
The guest speaker was Harrison Scott Key, whose first published memoir, The World’s Largest Man, won the 2016 Thurber Prize for American Humor. Key, who was born in Memphis, but grew up in Mississippi, now teaches at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). He entertained the luncheon crowd with his humorous and accurate perspective on what it takes to make a dream come true. He referred often to his second book, Congratulations, Who Are You Again?: A Memoir. Those considering Key’s line of endeavor, or following any other dream, might do well to get a copy of that second book, which he refers to as a “how to.”
The Awards Luncheon was held at the First United Methodist Church in New Albany. An excellent lunch was provided by New Albany’s Tallahatchie Gourmet. Tables were decorated with live floral arrangements from local garden clubs, as well as with original art and writing examples of local elementary school students.
Jessica Staricka, Second Place, Short story
Winners this year were:
NOVEL
Winner of the $2,000 Prize for Best Novel was Martin Hegwood of Pascagoula, MS, for his novel, Memphis.
Honorable Mention for novels went to Ellen Morris Prewitt of New Orleans for her novel, In the Name of Mississippi.
ADULT SHORT STORY
First Prize went to Kenneth Paul Gournic of Pittsburg, PA for “Ivory-Billed.”
Second Prize: Jessica Staricka of Minneapols, MN for “Lone Prairie.”
Third Prize: George Kehoe of Oxford, MS for “The Apple Chapel.”
Honorable Mention: Chang Joon An of Baton Rouge, LA, for “Kuleshov Effect.”
Honorable Mention: Doug Gray, Fayetteville, TN for “The Bear.”
Honorable Mention: George Drew, Postenkill, NY, for “Deconstructing Gus.”
ONE ACT PLAY
First Prize: Emily McClain, Oxford, MS, What the Water Gave Me.
Second Prize: Rex McGregor, Auckland, New Zealand, for Restoring Romeo.
Third Prize: Douglas Gearhart, Dunedin, FL, Buckets of Rain.
Honorable Mention: Straton Rushing, Phoenix, AZ, Happy Wright.
POETRY
First Prize: M. D. Veritas (Manfred Pollard), New Orleans, LA, ‘Kremlin Warfare Olympics.’
Second Prize: Sharlee Shumpert, Mooreville, MS, “To the Writer’s Descendant.”
Third Prize: Dr. Constantina Clark, Palatka, Florida, “First Face of the Resurrection.”
Honorable Mention: Dr. Constantina Clark, Palatka, FL,” Without Commentary.”
STUDENT SHORT STORY
First Prize: Gabe Rakestraw, Blue Springs, MS, “The Graveyard.”
Second Prize: Locklyn Wilchynski, McComb, MS, “Forsaken By the Rain.”
Third Prize: Joseph Hanna, Yazoo City, MS, “Let Go Leto.”
POETRY WORKSHOP WINNERS (all from New Albany)
Fourth Grade Winners:
First Prize: Audrie Heaton
Second Prize: Ellis Hardin
Third Prize: Watson Hess
Honorable Mention: Ivery Spencer
Fifth Grade Winners:
First Prize: Sam King
Second Prize Anne Meredith Mallette
Third Prize: Easton Coleman
William Faulkner and New Albany, MS
William Cuthbert Faulkner was born 125 years ago today – September 25, 1897. The birthplace of the future Nobel Literary laureate for 1949 was a simple wood-frame house at the southwest corner of Cleveland and Jefferson Streets in New Albany, Mississippi. He added the U to the spelling of his last name during the early part of his literary career in the 1920s.
His father Murry Falkner was an employee of the railroad founded in the 1870s by the Nobelist’s grandfather, William Clark Falkner. The family left New Albany when William Falkner was about a year old. There are conflicting stories about why the family moved and even where they moved to from New Albany. The family settled in Oxford when William Falkner was a small child, and he grew up in there. Although he traveled extensively in the United States, Europe and Asia, Oxford was Faulkner’s home for most of his life.
William Faulkner died 60 years ago, the early morning of July 6, 1962, at Wright’s Sanitarium in Byhalia, MS.
2022 William Faulkner Literary Competition photo gallery
Visitors from around Mississippi and from several other states came to New Albany, Thursday, Sept. 8, to view the opening of a major exhibit by artist Bill Steber.
Steber’s “Spirit in the Soil: Objects and Evocations of the Mississippi Blues” had its premier Thursday evening at the Union County Heritage Museum.
Visitors at Steber Exhibition opening came from several states.
The exhibit will hang at the museum through November. From here, the exhibit will go to the Sheldon Museum of Art in St. Louis.
Evoking memories and preserving history of Blues greats
A native of Nashville, Steber is a writer, artist, photographer and musician. Driven by his love of blues music and a fascination with the unique culture of Mississippi, Steber started photographing faces and places and assembling the thousands of “gathered objects” more than 30 years ago.
Steber has visited New Albany many times, including trips here to photograph blues musicians Sam Mosely, Elder Roma Wilson and Leon Pinson.
“I’m showing a number of traditional documentary photographs,” said Steber. “But, for the first time since my Junior Kimbrough exhibit more than a decade ago, the show also contains artifacts and ‘relics’ from sacred sites in the history of the blues. For instance, I’m creating a body of work on Robert Johnson, using materials gathered from sites associated with him” Steber said.
Steber gathered bits and pieces of materials on the Star of the West Plantation, where Johnson’s house stood in 1938 when he died. With these remnants, he has created portraits and evocative art. “I love the challenge of making a piece of art from a limited number of materials taken from a specific place, in honor of an individual associated with that place,” he said.
Robert Johnson Greenwood death triptych
Robert Johnson Image and its story.
“I began collecting artifacts that spoke to me: rusty tools, empty snuff bottles, a mirror losing its silver, a handmade checkerboard, torn quilts, etc. I collected the items with no specific purpose other than the preservation of their physical witness. I felt that the preservation of these humble artifacts was part of my work as a documentary photographer. It’s all about preservation,” he said.
A well known and multi-talented artist, musician and preservationist
Besides enjoying Steber’s visual art, those who attended the Thursday night opening at the Union County Heritage Museum enjoyed his considerable talents as a musician. He sang, played the guitar and harmonica and, most uniquely, created hauntingly sweet music using a fiddle bow and a common handsaw. Playing with Steben were musician/vocalist Libby Rae Watson from Pascagoula and drummer Sam Rorex of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
Sam Mosley and Bill Steber
“Bill’s work is known worldwide. His work has been featured from New York galleries to the Mississippi Delta. His unique perspective is truly an art. One wonders how in the world he captured these images. His answer to that is ‘people went out of their way to make him feel welcome’”, said Jill Smith, Director of the Union County Heritage Museum.
Beside those from Tennessee and local Union County people, the “Spirit in the Soil” opening at the Union County Heritage Museum also drew folks from Brooklyn, NY, Houston, TX, Muscle Shoals, AL, and from Oxford and Water Valley in Mississippi.
https://i0.wp.com/nemiss.news/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Bill-Steber-exhibit-opening-at-UCHM.jpg?fit=1200%2C487&ssl=14871200NEMiss.Newshttps://nemiss.news/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/nemiss-full-logo-300x77.jpgNEMiss.News2022-09-12 13:33:452022-09-12 13:33:45Opening of Bill Steber exhibit another ‘first’ for Union County Heritage Museum
What began 30 years ago on a trip through Mississippi became a lifelong passion for photographer, artist, musician and Nashville, TN native Bill Steber. His art and photography “Spirit in the Soil: Objects and Evocations of the Mississippi Blues” will open Thursday, September 8, 6 -8, at the Union County Heritage Museum in New Albany.
“He is also an amazing musician, and he and Mississippi musician Libby Rae Watson will perform at the exhibit opening,” said Jill Smith, Museum Director. You may have seen him playing in the bands Jake Leg Stompers, Jericho Road Show and HooDoo Men.
Bill Steber
Steber, who began his career as a newspaper photographer for the Nashville Tennessean, has won many awards, has also spent time in New Albany photographing musicians Sam Mosley, Elder Roma Wilson, Leon Pinson, as well as many other Mississippi blues musicians.
“I’m showing a number of traditional documentary photographs, but for the first time since my Junior Kimbrough exhibit more than a decade ago, the show also contains artifacts and “relics” from sacred sites in the history of the blues. For instance, I’m creating a body of work on Robert Johnson using materials gathered from sites associated with him,” Steber said.
The artist gathered bits and pieces of materials on the Star of the West Plantation where Johnson’s house stood in 1938 when he died. With these remnants, he has created portraits and evocative art. “I love the challenge of making a piece of art from a limited number of materials taken from a specific place in honor of an individual associated with that place.”
“I began collecting artifacts that spoke to me, rusty tools, empty snuff bottles, a mirror losing its silver, a handmade checker board, torn quilts and the things I collected with no specific purpose other than the preservation of their physical witness …I felt that the preservation of these humble artifacts was part of my work as a documentary photographer. It’s all about preservation,” he said.
“Bill’s work is known worldwide. His work has been featured from New York galleries to the Mississippi Delta. His unique perspective is truly an art. One wonders how in the world he captured these images. His answer to that is “people went out of their way to make him feel welcome,” Smith said.
Sam Mosley, by Bill Steber
“We are indeed fortunate to be able to exhibit his work as part of our Literary Fest with this unique portrait style mixed media pieces that reflect not only the image of the musician, but also a deeper level of telling a story. I hope people will take advantage of this opportunity to see through the lens and eyes of Bill Steber.”
In the three decades of Steber’s involvement with the Mississippi Blues, this artwork, that is a shift from his photography, is in a sense a culmination. “I feel an obligation of honestly documenting, preserving and celebrating the blues culture of the state of Mississippi, and I’ve devoted much of my creative energy towards that goal.”
“These new mixed media pieces are a continuation of rather than a departure from the straight documentary photographs in that they also preserve small slices of the story in a different form,” he said.
When visiting New Albany recently on a photo shoot for Living Blues Magazine, he rode in in a white van loaded with cameras, trays, chemicals and equipment. He set up a shoot and put his head under the tent of a century old camera and asked his subject, Sam Mosley, to hold still for a minute. Then he proceeded to develop that photo in a developer tray sitting on the ground at the museum. He ended up with a beautiful tintype of the blues musician that he later donated to the museum’s collection.
His photographs document the musicians and juke joints, churches and river baptisms, folk rituals, hoodoo practitioners, farming methods and much more about a slice of Mississippi’s culture.
Elder Roma Wilson by Bill Steber
A man of many talents, Steber’s work takes on new and different faces and phases. The mixed media component is indeed the culmination of everything I’ve witnessed, loved and felt about blues culture in Mississippi. But it is by no means the end. In many ways I feel like I am just getting started.”
The public is invited to see Steber’s work and enjoy his music and stories along with that of Libby Rae Watson. Their roots music was defined by one writer as “A revival of blues, country, Appalachia, the church, tinges of rock and rockabilly, it’s all there.”
The museum is located at 114 Cleveland Street, New Albany, Ms. For more information call 662-538-0014. The opening is September 8.
https://i0.wp.com/nemiss.news/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Robert-Johnson-Greenwood-death-triptych2-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C684&ssl=16841200NEMiss.Newshttps://nemiss.news/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/nemiss-full-logo-300x77.jpgNEMiss.News2022-08-28 20:06:422022-08-28 20:06:42Mixed media portraits made from rubble, plus award winning photos opening Sept. 8
06/13/22 – New Albany’s Main Street is excited to announce its June festival, Spoke ‘N Word Weekend. The Best Southern Small Town will have two days of community fun. This is the third year for Spoke ‘N Word which includes a bicycle ride, storytelling activities, and free live music, and is a project that is partially funded by a grant through Visit Mississippi.
Thursday, June 23rd will be an evening for locals and visitors to Unwine’d and SHOP the BLOCK in historic downtown New Albany. From 5-8pm W. Bankhead Street will be closed from The Tanglefoot Plaza to Barkley Travel for safe pedestrian travel. This is an opportunity to shop local and give local as over 25 Main Street retailers welcome shoppers in for after hours shopping. Each of these store owners will donate 10% of all sales to The Boys and Girls Club of New Albany. There will be food trucks, live music from Monty J & Element, and children’s games and storytelling at Cooper Park. Shoppers interested in participating in sampling sips of wine while enjoying after hours shopping can do so by purchasing a ticket on newalbanymainstreet.com or calling the Main Street office 662-534-3438.
“Our Boys and Girls Club offers incredible leadership, career development, educational, and recreational opportunities to the children in our community, after school and throughout the summer”, said Main Street staffer Tracy Vainisi, adding, “Donations offer the club extra support and we are hoping to rally the community to help them by shopping from 5-8pm on Thursday the 23rd.”
Saturday June 25th starts at 7:30am with Pedaling for Hope bicycle ride, an awareness and fundraising event for Main Street and Tupelo’s Regional Rehab Center. Anyone wishing to sign up can go to raceroster.com and search Pedaling for Hope on the Tanglefoot Trail. A kids fun ride is included as well as an afterparty with music from Cherry Creek and lunch from El Agave Mexican Grill, Game Tyme, and Manning’s BBQ, and storytelling activities at the Union County Library.
Later that afternoon, at 4pm, The Union County Courthouse will be host to the annual Sam Mosley Freedom Fest. Local bands The Dukes, Inspirational Hour with the Johnsons, Senseless, and Southern Soul and Company will share their stories through music and set the mood for an evening of community fun. Food trucks, family activities, and fireworks will round out the festive vibe.
For more information about Unwine’d and Shop the Block, Pedaling for Hope, or Sam Mosley Freedom Fest contact Tracy at visitnewalbany@gmail.com or Billye Jean at 662-534-3438 with questions.
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The annual Fossil Road Show is set Saturday, June 11, 10 – 2 at the Union County Heritage Museum in New Albany. Union County is one of the areas in the state that is rich with fossils, and this is an open invitation to have fossils identified by the experts.
This year’s event brings Paleontologist George Phillips to identify objects and to speak at 11 a.m. about the K/ Pg (Cretaceous- Paleogene Boundary), a portion of which has been located in Union County. This boundary is part of the explosive event that caused the sudden mass extinction of some three-quarters of the plant and animal species on Earth, including the dinosaurs, approximately 66 million years ago.
A large relic collection from a Union County man will be exhibited at this event. Shown are some of the stone axes, celts and other objects of this collection.
Many rare and fascinating objects have been found from the fossil deposits of New Albany and Union County. Dinosaur teeth and bones as well as mastodon teeth and tusks, sea creatures millions of years old are just a few. Attendees are invited to bring their own found objects for identification by the experts who will be attending.
“We had had to miss two years of the Fossil Road Show, and we are excited to bring it back this year. This is a fun family event, so bring the kids and come. It’s free, thanks to our Community Partners,” said Jill Smith, Museum Director.
A large Union County relic collection will be exhibited for the first time.
Another feature of the event will feature the Family Science aspect. Lobaki, a developer of virtual reality programs, will bring Virtual Reality Headsets that give a very realistic view into the past.
A large tooth found at the Blue Springs Fossil site.
The Memphis Gem and Mineral Society will return this year along with the North Mississippi Gem and Mineral Society.
The public is invited to bring their collections and exhibit for a day. Call in advance to make sure that tables are ready if bringing a relic or fossil collection, 662-538-0014.
A large relic collection from a Union County man will be exhibited at this event. Shown are a portion of the stone axes, celts and other objects of this collection
Jill Smith, Director
Union County Heritage Museum
114 Cleveland Street
New Albany, MS 38652
662-538-0014
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Join us May 5, 2022, from 5pm-8pm for Mexican-themed food, food demonstrations, children’s crafts, artisan items, and a Wall of History honoring families from Mexico! This is a fun-filled night of music, and costumed dancers, food vendors, and learning about a rich culture right here in our own town of New Albany.
A colorful group celebrates Cinco de Mayo.
The historical significance of Cinco De Mayo is the anniversary of Mexico’s victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Cinco de Mayo has become associated with the celebration of Mexican-American culture and is not to be confused with Mexico’s Independence Day which is celebrated on September 16, and commemorates the Cry of Dolores in 1810, which initiated the war of Mexican Independence from Spain.
Bring the entire family and enjoy this culturally significant event at your Union County Heritage Museum. Cinco de Mayo Celebration is co-sponsored by the museum and “Expresiones Devinas ~ La Mision” the Hispanic and Latino Ministry of Glenfield United Methodist Church pastored by Marta Sobrino-Bolen . Others from the community participating include Cheva and Jeff Stanford and more joining to make this night memorable. For more information call the museum at 662-538-0014 or come by 114 Cleveland Street in New Albany, MS.
¡Únase a nosotros el 5 de mayo de 2022, de 5:00 p. m. a 8:00 p. m. para disfrutar de comida mexicana, demostraciones de comida, manualidades infantiles, artículos artesanales y un Muro de la Historia en honor a las familias de México!
—
Jill Smith, Director
Union County Heritage Museum
114 Cleveland Street
New Albany, MS 38652
https://i0.wp.com/nemiss.news/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Cinco-de-Mayo-museum-feature.jpg?fit=1200%2C600&ssl=16001200NEMiss.Newshttps://nemiss.news/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/nemiss-full-logo-300x77.jpgNEMiss.News2022-04-30 20:35:192022-04-30 23:44:38Celebrate Cinco De Mayo at Union County Heritage Museum
Beyond the Tracks begins the second summer music series on Saturday, May 21, 2022, on “The Bridge Stage” in the Crossing on the Green Park.
The “Bridge Stage” and Crossing on the Green Park
The Crossing on the Green Park is located on the corner of Faulkner Way and Jefferson Street in New Albany, MS. Some may be familiar with the location as being next to the museum’s “Art House.” Some may recognize it as the Northside neighborhood’s corner park that is lit up every night with white twinkle lights.
Atop “Clerance” is a great spot for train watching.
The museum, with the help of the city, added a stage to the Crossing on the Green Park five years ago when the previous GM&O railroad crossing bridge over Main Street on the Tanglefoot Trail was replaced. Many lovingly remember this bridge as being called “Clerance” due to the misspelled use of the word “clearance” from many years ago. The bridge was saved and placed in the park with the thought that it would become a wonderful viewing deck for the trains passing through, as well as a stage for events and a picnic and green space for the city.
Garry Burnside kicks off “Beyond the Tracks” second season
The first official museum event being held on the stage will be May 21, 2022, at 6:00 p.m. The music series “Beyond the Tracks” will kick off season two with a free concert featuring the music of Hill Country blues musician Garry Burnside and the Garry Burnside Band. Burnside is one of the sons of blues legend R.L. Burnside, and carries on his blues legacy. Garry Burnside is a resident of Ripley, MS, and in addition to widely performing in the region, he is a guitar teacher.
One of Garry’s current students is a New Albany, MS native and New Albany Elementary School student, Gracey Williams. Gracey is in the fifth grade and is about to turn eleven years old. She began playing guitar at age seven and has been studying under Garry Burnside for two years.
Gracey Williams to perform with Burnside
Once Burnside realized Gracey’s gift and potential, he began inviting her to perform with him on stage. She has appeared with him and his band at the Hill Country Picnic, The Alice Mae Festival, Foxfire Ranch and Proud Larry’s. They also play almost weekly at local venues such as Rafters in New Albany and The Sports Grill and Mojos in Ripley.
In addition to playing on stage with Burnside, other prominent musicians Gracey has played with include Mark “Muleman” Massey, Kenny Brown, Luther Dickinson, Eric Dickinson, Eric Deaton and Paul Rogers. If those names aren’t familiar to you, the bands they play with may be. North Mississippi AllStars, The Black Crowes, The Black Keys and Kingfish may ring a bell!
Just this summer, Gracey and Burnside will appear at the North Mississippi Hill Country Picnic (June 24-25), New Albany Riverfest (September 24), Ripley Block Party (May 28). Gracey has also been practicing with the local band, Justin Kirk and Company and will begin playing with them at some local shows.
Music in their blood
RL Burnside at the 1982 World’s Fair in Knoxville TN Photo: Wikipedia
As mentioned earlier famed blues legend, R.L. Burnside. From his teenaged years until his death at age 78 in 2005, Burnside was involved in the world of music. As a blues singer, song writer and guitarist, he earned wide-spread recognition and several awards. In 2014 he was inducted to the Blues Hall of Fame in Memphis. Many of his sons and grandsons have followed him into musical careers.
Gracey, much like Burnside, is also a descendant of a music legend. Her great-great uncle is native New Albanian, Bobby Wood.
Wood was a member of the studio group 827 Thomas Street Band as well as the Memphis Boys and played on some of the most vital country records ever released and is credited on a countless number of timeless hits. Wood also had a recording on the pop circuit before a serious wreck derailed his career for a period.
Most recently, Gracey was interviewed on the Radio Memphis Station show “Blue and Booze” where she was promoting the release of singles with Garry Burnside. Their first release can be found on YouTube and Spotify. Gracey, who writes her own solos, is featured on two songs on the album, “A.G.F.” And “Garry’s Groove.”
Gracie talks about her great great uncle, musician Bobby Wood.
As the school year draws to a close, Gracey looks forward to moving up to sixth grade at New Albany Middle School where she will be joining the marching band, “The Pride of New Albany” where she will be featured as the electric guitarist on the field during marching season.
Gracey is the daughter of Andrea and Korey Parrish and Josh Latham. She is the granddaughter of Betty Williams and the late Rickey Williams, Vicky Latham and Steaven & Mary Latham. Her entire family supports her passion for music and they can all be found in the front row of every show on any given weekend. In addition to her family’s musical heritage influencing Gracey’s musical education, she has also been taught by Buddy Gresham, Anna Bullock and Eric Stronger.
The “Beyond the Tracks” kickoff performance is free and is sponsored by Sugaree’s. Bring your lawn chairs. Join us, to listen to the music, eat birthday cake sponsored by Sugaree’s and enjoy the evening. A food truck will be available. Call 662 -538-0014 for more information.
Jill Smith, Director
Union County Heritage Museum
114 Cleveland Street
New Albany, MS 38652
https://i0.wp.com/nemiss.news/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Gracie-and-Garry.jpg?fit=1200%2C589&ssl=15891200NEMiss.Newshttps://nemiss.news/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/nemiss-full-logo-300x77.jpgNEMiss.News2022-04-22 15:30:122022-04-22 15:27:52‘Beyond the Tracks’ brings Garry Burnside, Gracey Williams to the museum stage
