The stallions put on their blue swade shoes and they hopped in the car for Memphis, which was about the halfway point in their journey. None of the boys had enjoyed the Memphis experience ever before, but they were well aware from their conversations that Beale Street was the place to be. The lights of this world famous blues and overall music hub shone like those of Las Vegas without the casinos or cheap buffets.
BB King’s Restaurant was calling the name of the stallions. Ironically, into this restaurant would also enter a large group of college students along with a few professors, all from Miami (OH). There were about thirty of them on a 4 day service learning trip. The stallions may have just lined up lodging on their return trip!
The stallions momentarily moved off Beale Street to behold the legendary Peabody Hotel, where trained ducks would process down their elevator from their top-level stoop down the elevator and into the lobby fountain where they would swim all day until 5pm. Unfortunately, the stallions were too late to catch the ducks in action, but they were able to see them in their palace on the top plaza along with a beautiful view of the Memphis skyline.
After walking back down Beale St., the boys hopped back into Rosie for a visit to the Lorraine Motel, site of Martin Luther King’s assassination, and Graceland, home of Elvis.
Onward they pushed through the now intensifying rain into Clarksdale, MS. While they had technically broken the community tree linking them back to Jay & Ardella, they were excited to stay with their good buddy nonetheless. Ryan and his roommate Ben are both Teach For America Corps Members teaching in neighboring schools in the Mississippi Delta region. The stallions were fascinated and shocked with many of the stories they told of teaching in one of the poorest regions in the country. In a city where more than 40% of the youth live below the poverty line, these guys had students with dirt floors, others moving between aunts and grandparents. They would often come home from school frustrated at their administration and school system, which lacked qualified leadership and was simply trying to fulfill the state testing requirements. Some teachers were extremely unqualified as well. Frailich’s favorite saying of the year was from a 7th grade social studies teacher, who in all seriousness told her students that man invented weapons to fight the dinosaurs. Discipline was also a huge problem. Paddling was still allowed and Frailich estimated that 20 students per day were punished in this way. Ben also said that he was the only teacher at his school that was willing to break up fights, but he would only do so if the students were smaller than him. The school system was one example of how life was different in the Deep South.
Ben and Ryan were great hosts
The stallions were hoping Frailich could send them to their next city with a TFA contact, but all his attempts fell short. Therefore, the stallions laid in bed, yet again wondering where they would be headed the next day.
With another early wake up call and some Febreeze application to their shirts, the stallions were ready for another challenging and adventurous day. Following the recommendation of Frailich, they started by showing up at the Oakhurst Baptist Church. There they spoke with Judd Greer, Minister of music and worship. Judd was brought to Clarksdale from Atlanta only two months earlier by the Lord’s will. He told these community builders that everything in their life was guided by the hand of God and spoke of the importance of religion in the Bible Belt. Judd said his experience was that the people in Clarksdale had strong family values and were proud of where they came from. Judd also suggested Daphne, AL as their next destination where he had some distant contacts. To the amazement of the boys, he also had a mother in Niceville, FL, which would be two days away. That’s right, Niceville! Judd then gave them a Bible and prayed for their safe journey.
Next, the boys stopped by City Hall. As they were taking a picture outside, the mayor’s assistant named Frances left her office to greet them kindly. The stallions wee able to catch the mayor Henry Espy as he was on his way out the door. He was an enthusiastic character optimistic about the future of Clarksdale. Then Frances showed them around the office.
The stallions’ experience in Clarksdale, which was rumored to be birthplace of the blues, would not be complete without a visit to the Ground Zero Café.
This was the old ‘dive’ that legends such as Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, and Robert Johnson would gather to play. Now owned by Morgan Freeman, the place had retained all of its original history. Always hanging out there was local legend ‘Puttin’ Nate Walker, a 76-year old self-proclaimed Bad Man who wowed the stallions with his card and dice tricks.
On the way out of town, the stallions stopped at the Crossroads, where, as legend has it, guitarist Robert Johnson sold his soul to the Devil to play the blues.
Now it was through the heart of Mississippi and into the Mobile Bay area for Daphne, AL.
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