Southern Breeze 2007 Fall Issue

mark your calendars SEPTEMBER 15-16 26th Annual Biloxi Seafood Festival Don't miss this amazing festival, with seafood, arts and crafts, vendors, live entertainment, children's activities, gumbo contest, and much more. 228-604-0017 | www.biloxi.org/chamber SEPTEMBER 29-30 15th Annual George Ohr Fall Festival of Arts Come enjoy coastal cuisine, live entertainment, and art contests including street painting, T-shirt painting, pottery building, and even a most original mustache contest in honor of Ohr! www.georgeohr.org OCTOBER 26-28 Festival of Faith Through Art and Music Take the tour of the Nativity BVM Cathedral and learn its place in historic Biloxi, but not before singing along at a sacred music concert, swaying to some smooth jazz, and sampling specialty foods. www.nativitybvmcathedral.org Visitors to the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum can see pieces of George Ohr’s distinctive pottery and learn about the life of the eccentric artist known as “The Mad Potter of Biloxi”. The first phase of the $16 million dollar Ohr-O’Keefe Museum on the Biloxi beachfront was 10 months from completion when Katrina struck. The future home of masterworks by Biloxi potter George Ohr, the museum is back under construction and is scheduled to open in 2009. Ohr was a colorful Biloxi folk artist of the 1890s whose eccentric behavior earned him the nickname, “The Mad Potter of Biloxi.” His innovative, paper-thin vessels eventually earned Ohr a more prestigious title as the “Father of American Pottery.” His pots now sell for as much as $100,000 each. The 300 pieces in the museum’s permanent collection survived the storm and are in storage until the new facility opens. In the meantime, visitors can see about 20 pieces of Ohr’s distinctive pottery at the museum’s temporary location in the historic Glenn L. Swetman House. “This is one of the few coastal art collections that survived, so it is very important to the history of the Coast,” says Marjorie Gowdy, the museum’s executive director. “I’ve been heartened by the number of people in Biloxi who want to make sure the history of Biloxi is remembered. As we rebuild, the city will be different, but it will still have soul.” Despite its battle with Katrina, Biloxi’s soul is intrinsically connected with the sea. The graceful Biloxi Schooners, Glenn L. Swetman and Mike Sekul, still raise their white sails above the nowtranquil waters of the Mississippi Sound. The ferry shuttles visitors to the crashing surf and historic sites of Ship Island, and dozens of sailboats and fishing boats are available for charter, waiting to take visitors on a distinctly Biloxi adventure. As for Katrina, the howling hussy who tried to wipe Biloxi off the map, she not only failed to destroy the city’s sense of place, she became a part of preserving it. In the months since the storm, more than 500,000 volunteers from around the nation have poured into the Gulf Coast communities to assist with the rebuilding effort. Volunteers who came to help salvage Biloxi found themselves entranced by her geography, her culture, and her people. Many of them are coming back, not only to continue helping, but to play in Biloxi’s casinos, sample its fresh seafood, explore its museums, and celebrate the sense of place that Katrina couldn’t erase. “Biloxi has become an emotional connection, and a spot in people’s hearts,” Steve Richer, executive director of the Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau, says. “A visit here appeals to people’s humanity more than a typical vacation. Whether they come to pick up a hammer or to pick a card doesn’t matter. It’s a dramatic, historic recovery and they can be a part of it just by coming to visit.” As a resident, Steve is grateful for all the volunteers who came to help. “They encouraged us to get back into the swing,” he says. “And I want to thank the people who are coming now. When they visit Biloxi, they bring hope with them.” Fall 2007 43 http://www.biloxi.org http://www.georgeohr.org http://www.nativitybvmcathedral.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Southern Breeze 2007 Fall Issue

Editor's Letter Contributor Gumbo Words & Notes Accessories Coastal Calendar Storefronts: French Flair in Fairhope Sweet Dreams: Smooth Sailing Art of Living: The Colors of Hope Fixtures: Shake It Up! Live Here: Filled to the Brim Our Backyard: Just Add Water Make Yourself at Home: Open Invitation Pierless Pleasures Always Biloxi Spirited Away Reef Madness Louisiana Love Cheers: Fall Freeze Dish: Java Servers Reader Services Chef's Table: The Kid Inside Let's Eat: Cornbread, Catheads, and Calas Last Bite

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