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 Annie McKee "on the job" interviewing children at The Neshoba County Fair, Philadelphia MS.

Neshoba County Fair

     The Neshoba County Fair seemed to have a record number of crowds in attendance; at least, we were convinced of this fact as we searched for a good parking spot……then, hot dog, we got lucky!  We managed to swing the van into a deluxe parking spot right at the front gates! Put a smile on our faces for sure!

     I must have still been grinning when entering Founder’s Square as four small children approached me to ask for help in finding four missing puppies. Their little cherub faces were all drawn and concerned for the whereabouts of two brown and two black puppies named: Tuesday, Puppy, Rex and Palomino.  My husband snapped a picture as I wrote down all of the important information to help with the search as the children kicked barefooted in the sandy pathway.  The children, Madison Alford, Sadie Wright, Matthew and Courtney Smith all seemed relieved that I was now in on the search, even though I was a stranger.  This is the atmosphere of Mississippi’s Giant House Party….one big happy family, and indeed I felt right at home.

     I moved on to continue with my mission of locating Miss Ellen Johnson Spendrup’s Fair cabin, number 34, located on Founders Square – a very exacting location for Miss Ellen’s cabin since her family was one of the original families to organize the most famous county fair in the state of Mississippi, and maybe even the whole nation.

     I arrived at my destination to find Miss Ellen’s two nieces, Amy Johnson Thompson and Carolyn Palmer rocking on the front porch.  The nieces both share the ownership of cabin number 34 after the death of Miss Ellen in 1996 at the age of 97, and have attended each fair since the day of their births.

     Miss Ellen served as Fair secretary/treasurer until her death and she was a colorful character to say the least.  No one ever tires of “talking Miss Ellen” – there are more and more memories as someone will say, “Oh yes, and do you remember the time Miss Ellen”……….and of course every one remembers.

     The first Fair was in 1889. Ellen’s aunt, Fannie Johnson Smith, was in attendance. By the next year her parents, William Erazths (Raz) Johnson and wife, Emily Fox Johnson had become active supporters.  The Johnson family picture dated 1893, and made at the Fair, can be located in Steve Stubbs interesting book, Mississippi Giant House Party.  The Johnson family has remained active “Fair Families” from that time forward.

     Nieces Amy Johnson Thompson and Carolyn Palmer fondly recalled many family members and their part with Fair life.  There was Grand Pappy Johnson, Oscar and wife Lou.  This set of Johnson’s owned a big country store at Coldwater.  Grand Pappy Johnson lived to 97 years of age. So the Johnson family is considered along with the Harrison, Parker, Richardson families and others to be The Founding Families of The Neshoba County Fair, a great distinction.

     There are so many interesting Johnson family tales it is difficult to make a limited choice, but I must mention Grand Pappy Oscar Johnson. It seems on the occasion of Mississippi Governor Whitfield’s visit, he stopped by to rock on the porch with Grand Pappy.  Everyone knew that Grand Pappy’s version of lemonade was the best on the fair grounds, made by Grand Pappy’s own special formula: 2 parts lemonade and 1 part Southern Comfort. After a couple of hours of conversation and generous portions of the wonderful lemonade, the Governor suddenly remembered a speech he was scheduled to present; however he was about an hour late.  He just shrugged and said, “Oh well, they all knew everything I was going to say anyway, Oscar.  I think I’ll have a refill” and he continued to rock, sip, and converse! 

     Granddaughter Ellen Johnson obviously inherited a large amount of Grand Pappy Johnson’s charm and delightfulness.  Some one has described her as a free spirit. She counted among her boyfriends former Mississippi State Attorney General Mike Moore, who brought her flowers every year, and asked her political advice.  She was the Queen Bee of the Fair until the day she died enjoying the attention of a large number of the media.  She always had a good story for every newspaper reporter or television commentator.  She delighted in “telling it like it is” straight and to the point, yet somehow she remained friends even to those of whom she disagreed.

     Her early life was equally amazing, having married a river boat captain and living in Sweden for a number of years, then moving to Washington D.C. and working at the Pentagon for over 20 years.  But every vacation would find her at her birthplace of Philadelphia, Mississippi, especially during Fair week. After retirement Miss Ellen moved back to her native home and plunged into the running of the Fair.  She was the money manager and check writer for the Fair, and I am certain the monies were safe under the watchful eye of Miss Ellen.

     Everyone has his or her favorite Miss Ellen story and I have mine, too. My youngest son met Miss Ellen one July afternoon sitting on the porch of her Fair cabin holding court to all of her admirers. My son was dating Miss Ellen’s great, great niece, Kelly Thompson, and they have since married.  But on this afternoon Miss Ellen was making her first observation of the young man.  She looked him up and down after the introduction, and after several minutes finally stated in a firm voice, “Well, you look better than the last one she had!”

     The Neshoba County Fair was not originated by fearful people, but by the strong and committed. The heritage and rich history will have not been in vain.

     See you next year at The Fair!

SPEECH WRITER

Do you need a speech?  Take a look at the following speech written for Miss Rodeo Mississippi 2006.

    Adrienne Bordan, 2006 Miss Rodeo Mississippi

        (She's the one on the left......(chuckle)

      I'm a Mississippian, and YES, I’m bragging!

     Oh my, that does sound so-o-o pushy, and we Mississippians are just not the pushy type.  We use our very best “Sunday Manners” EVERYDAY of the week.  We are the polite, friendly, trusting sorts of humanity, you know, just the type you would cherish for a best friend – a loyal, loving VERY best friend!

     Our Mississippi ways are woven and overlapped in traditions of wholesome living, family ties and community values.  I must tell you of all the important assets we hold dear in Mississippi, such as honesty, integrity, kindness and soft skin….yes, I did say soft skin!  Some of us value this natural result of our humid and sultry climate in the highest esteem, and……usually others will come to appreciate this dividend of delicacy as it applies to our glowing, moisture-filled happy faces.

     Happy!  There’s another Mississippi adjective so close to our hearts.  There is no other thrill better to a Mississippian than a group of happy faces enjoying a good session of storytelling.  Yes, we ARE the masters of the written word, no doubt.  Remembering just a few, but all important creative Mississippians, such as William Faulkner, Tennessee Williams, Jerry Clowers, The Muppets originator Jim Henson, (and who doesn’t love Kermit and Miss Piggy!) then there’s Eudora Welty, and, of course, John Grisham! 

     Another art form of the written word would be the lines of a song such as, “Hunk, A-Hunk of Burning Love,” by Elvis, himself a native Mississippian, and then there’s “The Father of Country Music,” Mr. Jimmy Rogers, world-famous and known as The Blue Yodeler, also remembering the beautiful and talented Ms. Faith Hill, and THE pride of Mississippi, Mr. Charlie Pride himself, just to name a few of the heart rendering and soulful musical artists of my beloved state.

     Our Mississippi poets express their deep longings and passionate feelings through their prose.  (Cari, please add your favorite poet’s names here)

     If you happen to be blessed, and allowed by our Creator to reside in my dear state of Mississippi, where the talented and gifted personalities seemed to have settled, it’s easy to see why the quality of the written word abounds! 

     There are no shortage of stories to tell, especially stories of our Mississippi cowboys and cowgirls.  Why there’s Herbert Theriot of Poplarville, Randy Burns of Smithville, Ralph Morgan of Meridian, not to mention other National Finals qualifiers Frank Graves, Jennifer Wilson or Rita Shaw.  There’s no fiction in these stories to grab the reader’s attention – no need for that!  Our Mississippi cowboys and cowgirls tell a story of their own with their fierce competition, a “never give up attitude” and their commitment to community and our Rodeo families statewide.

     I would be amiss not to mention our clear “blue bird type” skies and clean air in communion with our piney woods, clear streams, the swells of the Gulf of Mexico as it glides onto the sandy beaches of our Gulf Coast, the rolling hills of northern Mississippi and, of course, The River – and you know which one!!!  Ah the Mighty Mississippi, such a grand ole lady as she rolls along bearing witness to our land of Mississippi – the land of the living and loving with it’s people bearing their very souls to instill the true essence of a deep rooted glorious haven and habitat – Our Mississippi – My Mississippi!

     So today, yes, I’m bragging!  I AM a Mississippian!

 MAAE Teaching Artist Training Workshop, Meridian MS

January 2006

Do you enjoy historical accounts?

Published in The Meridian Star

April 2007

A Royal Burial

     A royal burial……could it be The Valley of the Kings at Amarna where the Egyptian Royal Tombs are located, or perhaps the Westminster Abbey where the Kings and Queens of Great Britain receive much pomp and ceremony at the time of their burials?

    No, this royal burial took place at Meridian’s Rose Hill Cemetery, and perhaps with less pomp and ceremony, but with the respect and dedication of a people who loved their Queen.

    The year is 1915 and the sudden death of beloved Gypsy Queen Callie Mitchell brought an estimated 20,000 people to the Deep South and the small southern town of Meridian to attend her funeral and burial.

    The Queen of the Gypsies of America and her tribe were camped near Meridian when the Queen died during the delivery of a child.  The chance location of a Meridian Funeral home and the Episcopal Church, which was quipped and willing to conduct the services for larger numbers of her people, plus Rose Hill Cemetery, a well-maintained and historic location even in the year of 1915, all played important roles in making the decision.

    The February 7 1915 issue of Meridian Dispatch Newspaper describes the scene. “At one side of the parlors, with candelabra at the head and foot stands the magnificent silver-trimmed metallic casket.  Hermetically sealed within, in all the barbaric splendor of a medieval Queen lays Mrs. Callie (Kelly) Mitchell, Queen of the Gypsies of America.  Her swarthy face with its high cheekbones is typical of Romany tribes and the head, the upper portion of which is covered with bright silken drapery pinned at the back with pins, rests upon a cushion of filmy silk and satin. The hair is braided Gypsy fashion and the dark tresses shine. The body is attired in a Royal robe of Gypsy Green and other bright colors contrasting vividly with the somber hues usual under such circumstances. Two necklaces are around the neck, one of shells, an heirloom that was descended through generations. The lower part of the body is draped with “Sacred Linen” treasured by Gypsy bands for the use only when death overtakes one of their numbers.  When the children arrive, each will put a memento of some kind in the casket and it will devolve upon the youngest child to place her mother’s earrings in the ear.”

    Her tribe believed the Queen’s journey into afterlife would require certain items of comfort, such as comb, brush, and other toilet accessories, as well as a supply of clothing for use on the other side of the Styx. Some even thought she was buried with valuable jewels, and perhaps she was?

    Members of the Mitchell Tribe, at the time one of the largest in the country, came to Meridian from all parts of the United States to pay tribute: a newsreel was made and exhibited throughout the country relating the mystery and homage paid to a woman of high esteem as she made her final journey to be laid to rest.

     The funeral services took place February 12 1917 and were held at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, with rector, The Rev. H. W. Wells officiating. On the final day of the Queen’s impressive Romany inspired funeral traditions, more than 5000 people were at the cemetery to witness the last rites. It was a large and imposing funeral procession that made its way from the undertaking establishment to the Episcopal Church.  The local college band headed the procession, followed by male members of the Gypsy band on foot and bareheaded with Chief Mitchell, members of his immediate family and the women and children in carriages.  The hearse, with the remains of the Gypsy Queen, headed the carriage procession.  The attendance at the church was large…so large that it was impossible for all of the people to gain entrance, so many stood out in the street. The church services were those of the traditional Episcopal Church and were in no way added to by the Gypsies.

         This account of a beloved queen and her tragic death has brought thousands of people to her gravesite during the last nearly 100 years since her burial, also bringing gifts to be left on her tombstone. Our curiosity for this glimpse into the early 1900’s and the immense love and respect one woman received from her people still brings many visitors to her grave even until this 21^st Century.

    As the result of her burial at Rose Hill Cemetery, in part, a Gypsy Royalty Burial site, other royal burials have taken place. The death of her husband, King Emil, and other family members, Queen Flora Mitchell, Mike Wilson Mitchell, leader of the Mississippi Tribe and Mehil Mitchell, eight-year-old nephew of King Emil, who died of influenza in Jackson, Mississippi on November 12 1918, are all buried at Rose Hill Cemetery.

    Historian and Rose Hill Cemetery Director, Mr. W. Walton Moore, Jr., shares the sentiments of tourist and travelers who visit the grave site, as he declares, “Historic Rose Hill Cemetery is one of the best tourist attractions in the entire area!” 

     Mr. Moore continues, “The cemetery opened in 1874, but there were many burials prior to that date; some of Confederate soldiers, and leading citizens of Meridian.  The oldest marble marker is dated 1853, but the most visited is that one of the Queen. Many of her descendants regularly visit and seek advice from their Queen, bring gifts and items of food and drink. Recently I found a diet coke and a sack from Burger King!”

     As we continue to live our lives in this 21^st Century memories of a cemetery of historic uniqueness once again brings notice, and as we drive to our destinations, a chance look into the world of yesteryear is ours for the taking, and to remember the much loved Gypsy Queen of North America once again commands our attention.

    STAR-SPANGLED

            MORNING

    The National Anthem Project 

Left to Right

Annie McKee, Honorable Phil Bryant, Auditor for the State of Mississippi, and Regina Richardson

    Photo by Melanie Calvert

An original play written and presented by Annie McKee to the Northeast Elementary School featuring Mrs. Mary Pickersgill, the seamstress who stitched the American Flag, that flew over Fort McHenry during the 1814 Battle of Baltimore. Francis Scott Key saw Mrs. Pickergill's flag while he was held captive on a British ship and was inspired to compose the poem that became the national anthem.