2007 Sunflower River Blues Fest

[tombstone]

tombstone..


after living in the jackson ms vicinity for 10 years..

well u get the picture..

You got a point . Yall enjoy!!

[don ho]

tombstone, r u born and raised in C'dale?

[tombstone]

tombstone, r u born and raised in C'dale?

Yes. I never got farther than Cleveland, MS

[Bully]

Tombstone,
When did you graduate from highschool? I graduated from Lee in 95.

[tombstone]

Tombstone,
When did you graduate from highschool? I graduated from Lee in 95.

CHS 90

The last year you could go there and not worry about getting mugged. The year after I left, the principal, coach, and AD retired and all the people that could, transfered to Lee. Several of my friends that were still in highschool went on to Lee.

[rebelduckaholic]

I graduated from CHS in 95. Not too many caucasians there. When I was playing football my senior year is was me and one other white boy

[don ho]

u boys r little younger Lee 82....still hurt around there some though and Mom is or was still there....Toumstone, u were kind of rough on the Blues fest...it is a pretty clean family fun thing they have going on down there...Do u not go to Ground Zero either?....

[tombstone]

u boys r little younger Lee 82....still hurt around there some though and Mom is or was still there....Toumstone, u were kind of rough on the Blues fest...it is a pretty clean family fun thing they have going on down there...Do u not go to Ground Zero either?....

I did not mean to come across that way. It just that Clarksdale is not what I would call a safe place. A lady got raped at the uptowner hotel during the festival last year, and anything south of the tracks gets worse by the day. I see alot of out of towners in some very unsafe places while that thing is going on. Most people who have never been to Clarksdale don't understand the level of crime that is here.

Even though I am not a blues fan, or a Ground Zero fan, the festival is a great thing for Clarksdale and the people that put it on do a great job. We don't have many good things around here, but the repsonse concerning the festival is generally positive. I welcome you all to Clarksdale and hope that you have a wonderful and safe time.

[don ho]

Oh I agree with You, C'dale is bad and I know cause I was there when it was a great town to grow up in so I have watched its decline. So dont get me wrong I understand what u are saying. But the Blues thing is and could save the town to a degree. You have to understand what the blues means to people around the world. I hear alot of out of towners are buying up long time vacant buildings down town and new and creative, opened minded people are interested in the town. To save the town it will take money and believe me the blues can drive it all if Clarksdale and the locals would just help alittle. I can count on one hand how many locals I saw at the Fest. Only at Bobbie T's place did i see any of my old friends. I dont understand that. And now I understand locals dont go to Ground Zero much anymore. Now I have some insight there MAYBE because the local manager is a BITCH AND I MEAN A BIG BITCH!!!..

Sorry for the rant but its like this. Clarksdale has 3 one of a kind places that can and will be big draws. Hopkins, Ground Zero, and The Museam(sp)...Hopkins is the coolest thing I have ever seen and I hear those guys have big plans for its future. Ground Zero is one of the top 20 or so "must visit" bars (blues or no) in the country. I hear Charlie Musslewhite just bought the old delta hardware building on the river behind Ground zero no telling what he is gonna do with that....anyway CLARKSDALE LOCALS CANT SEE THE FORREST FOR THE TREES.. and they have always been like that going back to when they would not allow Delta State Univ to be built in their town....
I feel better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dogzeye]

What's going on with Hopson's these days, the last time I was up there Von Canal (sp?) had a bar atmosphere going on that was second to none and like no other I have seen to this day.

I heard it had become little more than a shack rent for shotgun houses?

[Po Monkey Lounger]

Hopson --the bar -- has had its ups and downs over the last several years. When managed properly, with good bands for entertainment and advertising to get the word out, it can be as fun of a place to party as any I have ever been to. The atmosphere can also be as dead as a doornail when not managed properly. It has lacked consistency, which has hurt it. A good experience brings folks back for more. A bad experience or two, and they don't come back.

The Shack-Up Inn is a cool looking place. I have never stayed there since my only need for overnight lodging in Clarksdale has been the Blues Fest, and the Inn has always been completely booked for this event. And as indicated above, even when I tried to make reservations about a year in advance for the festival, they would not let me do this ---EVEN IF I PREPAID. They were holding the rooms for VIP out of state guests/performers for the festival. I was not a VIP.

But, they now have more rooms to rent with the expansion into the old gin. So, things may have changed, I don't know.

Hopson Plantation has really rocked on occasions in the past. It is roomy with lots of cool memorabilia on the walls and everywhere within. Big, long bar ---so, its easy to get a drink. Lots of tables and places to sit. Lots of places to stand in the back. Lots of history in the building and good atmosphere. And, the acoustics are good. Perfect venue to see a really good band. One really, really has to try hard to screw up such a good thing.

[Dogzeye]

I remember sitting in an old recliner upstairs and reaching into the magazine pocket and pulling out several vintage playboy mags.

We had some of the best times there, circa 96-97. Just unbelievably good times. I worked sound for several of the regular 'house players' that would get together and jam there.

[tombstone]

I agree hospon is a very unique place. My uncle and cousin spend a alot of time playing out there. It really is a touch of nostalgia, that is hard to find anywhere else. It is as you say, very inconsistent. It really has some incredible potential.

As far as Ground Zero, the people in Clarksdale still go some, but Clarksdale as whole has just not embraced the idea of the blues. I agree that it definitely could be a saving grace for Clarksdale, but the "taxpayers" here just have basically had it up to there chins because of terrible politics, poor school systems, etc. I, as well as many others, am to blame for this. I have lived here my whole life and to see what this place has become is so depressing. Most of the folks have just thrown up there hands and conceded that we will soon be a town like Rosedale. You know as well as I do that the people that who work, organize, pay taxes and produce for this commmunity are fleeing much faster than they are coming in. It is sad, but with yall responses, it is nice to see that others don't see it that way and that there is still hope. I will say that the Juke Joint Festival has also been very good in the past and is well worth attending.

[don ho]

tombstone, I cant say i have helped ya'lls white flight issue as I am responsible for getting my mom and Girlfriend out of Cdale all just in the last 2 months. both are in Jax with me now.....only new young people I have met in town or that are still in town that I know are attys, bankers and accts which one of them r u??? I still have some good friends in town though and they wont leave for nothing. And I wish I could afford to return cause i do miss it...
hang on there buddy I think their may be some hope for it yet....as I said money drives those types "taking back of a area". If what I have heard Mr Middleton and others say about the selling of down town prop is true than Cdale can be bought back to a degree. I also here Bubba Okeif is buying the old woolworths or jc penny building to redo as something, I think maybe apts or condos.....HOwever the one glaring big problem is the school system. hell i hear locals who would normally go to Lee are even sending their kids to Delta in marks... Whats up with that???