On this edition of the program we travel to the Mississippi Delta.; to the Bolivar County town of Merigold. http://www.co.bolivar.ms.us/visitors.htm
Crawdad’s Restaurant opened in 1984 here in downtown Merigold. They started in a 22 by 14 foot room and could seat a total of six people and they served only crawfish. Today, after many renovations and a fire that completely destroyed the building; they have come back bigger and better than ever. People flock in from miles around Tuesday through Saturday evenings to enjoy the steaks, seafood and Cajun cuisine that they are cooking up here at Crawdad’s. http://www.crawdads1.com/history.html
And speaking of crowds flocking into Merigold; a recent event drew pilots from around the country to this small Delta town.
Johnny Dorr might not be a household name but he should. He was not only a master pilot who trained thousands of combat pilots during World War II, a world class performer of amazing acrobatic stunts at air shows throughout the U.S but it was his contribution to Agricultural Aviation that made him a legend.
From the small grass landing strip; known in Merigold as Dorr Field, he became the first person in the U.S. to open a school to teach Agricultural Aviation. For more than forty years, Johnny Dorr trained thousands of students from around the world on all aspects of Ag flying. He became so well respected at teaching that he was asked to write the Ag flying rulebook for the Federal Aviation Administration.
Today, through the efforts of several individuals in the Delta, he is now being recognized for his contributions during the three day event called “The Dorr Field Fly-In.” It is through this annual event that organizers hope to educate visitors about Johnny Dorr, meet his former students, and take away an appreciation for his contributions to Ag aviation.
"You can have my mule barn."
With that offer from "Aunt" Margaret in 1954, Lee and Pup McCarty moved the animals out, moved themselves and one tiny kiln into "The Barn," and began what was to become an internationally recognized and award winning pottery business.
More than fifty years later the McCartys have had their work shown in museums and galleries around the world. Keeping things simple and elegant has always been their focus. When you buy a piece of pottery here made from Mississippi River mud, they will wrap it in newspaper and put it in a brown paper bag.
If you come here don’t miss the internationally acclaimed garden that the McCartys have created over the years. It’s a well organized jungle of plants, trees, fountains and terraces. http://www.mccartyspottery.com/
Just like most of the towns in the Delta, Merigold was known as a “cotton town” from it’s inception until the 1970’s. During that time on Saturday nights, field-hands and country folk would flock to Merigold to shop, relax and unwind after a hard weeks work. And some of those people would search out the many juke joints that were in and around town. But like cotton, the juke joints have also faded into past.
Except there is one staunch hold-out here in Merigold and it has world-wide recognition.
Po Monkey’s lounge has been a great place to have a good time for more than fifty years. The legendary juke joint is one of the last remaining cultural icons of its kind still in existence in the Mississippi Delta.
Just turn off Highway 61 when you get to Merigold, and take the gravel road next to the cemetery that leads to a rickety old sharecropper’s shack in the middle of the cotton field. Willie Seaberry, better known as Po’ Monkey, will see to it that you always have a good time. He’ll make you feel right at home and he will ensure that you enjoy your juke joint experience.
You here a lot of bad news about education in our country; test scores are low our kids aren’t learning the basics and so on. Here at Hayes Cooper Elementary in Merigold they are doing a lot right. They are Mississippi’s first and only Charter School, the Delta’s only magnet school they hold a Level 5 – Top Accreditation Rating for Student Achievement in Mississippi and they have received the Governor’s Award for Education Achievement. Not bad for a tiny school in the Mississippi Delta that was named after the first custodian that worked at the original elementary school in Merigold.
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