MISSISSIPPI - Gracious Southern Hospitality, November 30-December 2
We arrived in Jackson, Mississippi in the late afternoon and were greeted at the airport by PGER and State Sponsor Mike and Sandra Smith, Special Deputy Mike and Bonnie Gordon, Past Special Deputy Dub and Tiny Hicks, Past State President Arnie Blackmon and Toni and current State President Tasos Alekos. As we left the airport, four Mississippi Elks on their motorcycles took the lead and proceded to escort us to the hotel. We were honored and arrived with big smiles on our faces. That evening we went out to dinner at Tico's Steak House. A local restaurant, it is owned and run by a prior chef for the national chain, Ruth's Chris. Tom enjoyed a 24-ounce bone-in ribeye. What a steak! We enjoyed our meal, the service and the company.
Friday morning, Tom had breakfast with the men followed by a half hour interview on a 50,000 watt radio station with statewide talk show host, JT. During the interview, Tom had a chance to educate the entire state of Mississippi about who the Elks are and what we do. Meanwhile, the ladies headed north for a tour of the Canton Elks Lodge #458. Located on the main square of Canton, Mississippi, this historic lodge was founded in 1898 and was the filming site for the movie "A Time to Kill" based on the novel by John Grisham. It is a beautiful lodge and we enjoyed hearing about its history and seeing all of the memorabilia that their members have preserved. After leaving the Lodge, we walked around the town square enjoying all of the Christmas decorations and stopping in and out of the various shops.
Lunch found the men at Mama Hamil's, an all-you-can-eat southern style BBQ buffet which lived up to its name. The ladies stopped at Primo's, a southern diner-style restaurant featuring catfish, sweet potato fries and gumbo. After lunch, we all rendezvoused in downtown Jackson for a guided tour of the Capitol building. Completed in 1903 at a price of $1,093,641, this beautiful building is a prime example of the Beaux Arts architecture, characterized by grandiose composition and an abundance of classical detail. As is the case with most capitol buildings, is a beautiful structure and speaks of Mississippi heritage and pride. After our Capitol tour, we had a chance to meet the Governor of Mississippi, Phil Bryant. We spent some time with him sharing information about the Elks and the work they do in the State of Mississippi.After a casual dinner at the hotel Friday evening, we spent some time visiting with the Mississippi Elks in several of their hospitality suites. True to the tradition of "southern hospitality", there was wonderful food (gumbo, bisque, southern tamales) and generous drinks.
Saturday morning began with the business session for the State Association. Venita attended a luncheon for the ladies, followed by a shopping trip to some unique gift shops in the town of Madison. That afternoon, we went to Mass followed by the State Banquet. The Mississippi State Association presented us with a beautiful engraved silver tray with four cocktail glasses bearing a hand crafted pewter elk head on each glass. They were truly works of art and will be put to good use in our home.
Sunday morning Tom headed for Michigan to do some work for his law firm while Mike, Bonnie, Arnie and Toni took Venita out to lunch at Jerry's Catfish House for some of the best southern fried catfish and hush puppies she's ever had. Deciding the "all you can eat" was truly more than she could eat, she still managed not to go home hungry!As Tom said, you can't possibly understand Southern Hospitality until you experience it. Congratulations to the Mississippi Elks and all of our escorts and hosts. You did it perfectly!
