Made possible by Althea, four friends, one from Hot Springs, 3 from Oxford met in Greenwood to celebrate Helene's birthday, the weekend of February 4, 2012. We stayed Saturday night at Tallahatchie Flats. Starkly beautiful, in a barebones Mississippi way, the cabins have exposed wood walls, fireplaces with space heaters, drafty walls,
and a sloping kitchen with appliances that work only if you know their secrets. Reasonable prices and space enough for a group of four.
Denise had brought containers full of percussion instruments. Rain drowned out a potential bonfire, but we started an impromptu performance on the old front porch. 
Photo by Althea Church
Our kindly neighbors for the night gathered round to hear a few tunes and then go their own ways. There was a family from Iowa to our right and a man and his sons from Starkville on our left. He had listened to Son Thomas many times at Mississippi State Frat parties.
Next day we were greeted with pleasure, and radical hospitality at Wesley United Methodist Church, a historic and historically African American church downtown. Before the service they asked "Does anyone here have a birthday this week?" We turned to Helene, she stood up, and the chorus and pianist launched into "Happy Birthday!"