Mississippi Roads is coming to you this week from the lower Mississippi Delta. We’ve set up shop in the county seat of Sharkey County; in the town of Rolling Fork.
http://www.lowerdelta.org/index.html
The town of Rolling Fork was settled in the early 1800’s along the banks of Deer Creek. The area grew and prospered through agriculture and was once an important railroad center between Vicksburg and Greenville.
But like most Delta towns Rolling Fork has experienced tough times as of late. A group of concerned citizens recently came together to try and revitalize the community. Two sisters in that group took a chance and rescued this home that was in foreclosure and disrepair. They transformed the property into the wildly popular Bottletree Bungalow.
The Bottletree theme can be found outside by the white picket fence and inside this brightly decorated cottage with trendy decor. Unlike a lot of B&B’s you don’t have to share this home with anyone. When you rent the Bottletree Bungalow you get the entire house to yourself. http://bottletreebungalow.com/
And speaking of houses being restored; in our first story we visit another Rolling Fork home that has recently undergone some major renovations of its own.
There is a grand old mansion in Rolling Fork that was almost lost to history. This is the story about the restoration of the late 19th century Victorian home called Mont Helena. The three story house was built by Helen and the Reverend Harris back in the 1870’s. The imposing mansion sits on top of what used to be an Indian ceremonial mound and can be seen for miles around. Throughout Mont Helena’s nearly 150 year history; it has endured many changes and tremendous struggles. The worst of which was its nearly four decades of abandonment and decay.
Mont Helena would have only been a fond memory and lost to history if it were not for the efforts of one man, Drick Rogers. In 1999, he bought the home and spent the next decade restoring Mont Helena to its former glory. Now, Mont Helena can once again reclaim its rightful place in the Mississippi Delta.
If you are searching for a fun festival with music, food and plenty of activities come to Rolling Fork on the fourth Saturday in October for the Great Delta Bear Affair. The festival celebrates Teddy Roosevelt and his legacy.
In 1902 the president and famed guide Holt Collier came to the area for a black bear hunt. The expedition was unsuccessful but Roosevelt was offered the opportunity to shoot a captive bear at the end of the hunt but he refused; resulting in the naming of stuffed toy bears as “Teddy Bears.”
Each year of the festival; the town receives a new sculptor of a chainsaw carved wood bear from the festival artist. These wooden masterpieces can be found at various locations throughout town. http://www.greatdeltabearaffair.org/
In our next story, we introduce you to a local artist who is working on some masterpieces of her own in the town of Rolling Fork.
Mica Joiner is a self-described free spirit who expresses herself in painting more than anything else. And she not only thinks outside the box, she thinks outside the building, painting murals over outside walls depicting the history of her home town, Rolling Fork. In this story, Mica tells us why she’s so compelled to paint the town.
Highway 61 runs right through the town of Rolling Fork. It’s known as the Blues Highway, because so many Delta Bluesman traveled north to Memphis and Chicago seeking jobs and carrying their traditional cotton field spirituals and blues songs with them on their travels.
McKinley Morganfield better known as “Muddy Waters” was born just outside of Rolling Fork. He is considered one of the greatest bluesmen of all times and was a huge inspiration to many musicians like the Rolling Stones, The Beatles and Eric Clapton.
The marker on China Street is a memorial that pays tribute to the blues icon. The town of Rolling Fork recently joined the Mississippi Blues Trail with a new marker dedicated to the famed musician.
In our next story, we skate on down to the Gulf Coast and meet some women who have been garnering a little fame of their own.
The Mississippi Rollergirls are taking the coast by storm. They are attracting a very diverse crowd to their rough and tumble matches that take place at the Harrison County Skate Park in Gulfport. The sport is attracting women from all walks of life and many have never participated in a sport in their lives. The ladies are getting into this very physically demanding sport and are gaining confidence in themselves inside and outside the roller rink. But mind you this is not the roller derby of the 1970’s, this sport is real; with no pre-determined outcomes or staged fights. These ladies are serious about this fast-paced contact sport.
http://mississippirollergirls.com/home/html/MSRG/Splash.html
Hunters and outdoorsmen are attracted to Rolling Fork thanks in large part to the Delta National Forest. It is the only bottomland hardwood national forest in the United States. The sixty thousand acres of swamps, bayous and bottomland forests provide for excellent hunting and fishing opportunities here in Sharkey County. It’s an appropriate place to end our show this evening.
http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/mississippi/delta/
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