MISSISSIPPI ROADS
SHOW #2704

Mississippi Roads comes to you from Calhoun County in Northeast Mississippi. We are in the town of Bruce, where money grows in trees.


In 1924 E.L. Bruce Company purchased 21,000 acres of timberland and established a large timber mill in the area. The village of Bruce became the last town to be incorporated in Calhoun County in 1927. Today, the town still benefits from its trees with lumber and furniture representing major forces in the economy of this quaint Northeast Mississippi town.


Bruce offers some nice touches as a small town; life moves a lot slower here, there is little or no crime and everybody knows your name. But some big city amenities are also on hand for their residents. One of those is Yoda Creek Golf Club which is located just two miles north of Bruce and offers a scenic rolling hills golf course and a swimming pool to help keep the people of Bruce relaxed and entertained.

And speaking of entertainment, come to Bruce on a Saturday night and you will be amazed at the quality of entertainment taking place inside the Bollinger Family Theatre.


At the Bollinger Family Theatre, there's a little something for everyone, from southern gospel, country classics, bluegrass, new country & hilarious comedy. The entire family gets involved in this first class production. The shows are similar to the ones found in Branson, Missouri. They are always new songs and comedy skits added that keep the fresh and entertaining. For more information or to get a complete schedule of shows visit http://www.bollingerfamilytheatre.com/


Fred Thomas is a local Bruce resident whose made it big. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in 1996 and in 2000 he signed on with the New Orleans Saints and quickly became a pro-bowler by shutting down wide receivers and making tackles for the crescent city NFL team. But Fred hasn’t forgotten his hometown. His single screen theater is one of the only ones in the southeast that shows first run movies and he recently opened up a sports café next door to the theater.

In our next segment, we meet another local boy who made it big, but this time in Hollywood. He has returned to his hometown of Ruleville in order to give back to the community that reared him.

Luster Bayless grew up in the Mississippi delta but he was destined for bigger things. He went to Hollywood and got into the movies. You’ve probably seen his work not acting but in the costumes that the stars wear on the screen. Luster specialized in westerns and period films and became a very close friend and personal costume designer for John Wayne. He has brought a lot of his movie memorabilia back to Ruleville and opened up a café and museum in the middle of the delta.



Bruce is paying homage to its roots by opening the Bruce Forestry Museum. They are in the process of raising money and collecting memorabilia to fill the building that was first opened in the 1930's as the E.L. Bruce General Store. The town also celebrates it’s heritage each July with a Sawmill Festival that’s held right here on the square and attracts thousands of people to the town for fun and excitement.

And speaking of fun, in our next segment, we meet a local Bruce resident that is doing everything in his power to make his life and those around him more fun and amusing.

Roy spent most of his life working hard but since his retirement he has had more time to reflect and be creative. We meet a man who can turn discarded screws and scrap metal into an airplane or a dinosaur. In this segment we meet the man behind the art and find out what inspires him to come up with such unique and creative sculptors from what most people would see as junk.