Greenville, Mississippi is an unexpected, lovely town struggling to stay alive. In spite of the constant pressure of children growing up and leaving for better work opportunities, Greenville is working hard to stay relevant. Each person we met was so pleased to share their story of growing up there or how they found their way to the Delta.
The city had displays of historical artifacts everywhere we went. It was striking to see the robust city streetscapes of the late 1960s compared with what we were seeing personally.
Greenville relied on cotton and field crops for revenue. The farmers were supported by a large community of Jewish business people who sold dry goods and supplies. The Italian and Chinese immigrants owned food stores. It was a thriving economy.
As we toured the area we saw first hand the decomposition of their city fabric. The once vital Jewish temple now has only 25 households (many single persons) and holds services only twice a month with a rabbi who travels from Jackson. They are quite pleased that 3 children are going through religious training; that seemed to be an anomaly. The Methodist church across the street has similar issues with retaining membership in a declining population.
Viking cruise line has made a difference in the lives of those in Greenville just by making their city a cruise stop. Having an influx of over 600 people a week support local businesses could be a game changer. A devastating tornado made landfall in the Greenville area in March of 2023. Viking sent buses full of supplies and food to the city in addition to a large cash donation. In return, the citizens show their appreciation by welcoming each of us at a personal level.
We left the ship shortly before lunch and found ourselves in an old high school. Waiting for us was a group of about 8 people, dressed to the nines shaking our hands and thanking us for making time for them. A bloody mary was placed in our hand and we shuffled off to the auditorium filled with tables ready for a meal. A blues player was on the stage just riffing.
Lunch consisting of hot tamales (who knew they are famous for them?), fried catfish, hushpuppies, pulled pork, mac and cheese, cole slaw, and bread pudding. Buckets of beer were on the table and “moonshine” was passed out at the end for a toast.
During lunch, Steve Azar chatted with us and performed. I had never heard of him before, but I wish I had. His voice and performance style were captivating as he worked his way through country, blues and rock and roll numbers. I've included 3 clips of his performance below. The final clip is a portion of his song "One Mississippi" which was composed to become the state song.
After lunch and the performance, we visited the history museum, learned about the impact of the flood of 1927, went to the Methodist church and Jewish temple before making a quick stop at a cypress swamp that was being reclaimed.
I didn’t take many photos because the interesting aspects were the people and I didn’t want to be intrusive. But I did capture some video of the music. I also learned about the concept of "landing a boat." Landing is when there is no wharf and the ship is actually run aground on the shore. I took a photo of the bow of the ship as we were returning and you can see that we're truly run aground.
