The Delta Center for Culture and Learning at Delta State University recently provided a heritage tour for the fourth grade class at Parks Elementary in Cleveland. The class has been studying the Mississippi Blues Trail, and students had researched the lives of numerous blues performers and even written their own blues songs, some of which were performed on the bus during the tour. The students were accompanied by their teachers, Memrie Melton, Wendy Norwood and Crystal Thomas as well as the Principal of Parks, Mary Anderson.
The tour visited Po’ Monkey’s Lounge in Merigold, the birthplace of David Honeyboy Edwards in Shaw, and several murals and Blues Trail stops in Leland. They went on to see Jimmy Reed’s birthplace in Dunleith, Charley Patton’s grave in Holly Ridge, and the B. B. King Museum in Indianola. The students were surprised to see that the museum was displaying the quilt that their class had made out of blues t-shirts. Mrs. Melton had quilted pieces that the class had chosen, but not told the class their own work would be on display. The Delta Center’s Lee Aylward led the tour.
