Casinos change everything but the Neshoba County Fair
By: WALTER WEBB, Editor
Last Thursday I went down to the Neshoba County Fair to hear our own Rook Moore take the historic stage where so many legendary politicians have spoken.Rook is campaigning for Court of Appeals judge, a position he has been holding since July last year when he was appointed by Gov. Kirk Fordice.
I was running a tight schedule anyway after getting off late (around 10 a.m.) and trying to make it to the fair by Rook's speech at 1 p.m.
It's a road I've travelled a thousand times since the road to Philadelphia goes right through my hometown of Louisville. And I've been going to the fair since I was in high school so I had no concern about getting to the fairgrounds.
However, when I arrived in Philadelphia and started on the bypass around the town, I became totally disoriented because it didn't look anything like I had remembered. I tried to pull back my recollection of where to turn and I knew there was a large grocery store near the turn but it wasn't there any more.
Instead I saw a brand new Holiday Inn, a McDonald's, other motels and buildings going up everywhere.
I knew the road was to the right so I took the road passing the Holiday Inn. There further I went the more construction and new businesses I saw.
Then over the horizon I saw the source of all this development...the Silver Star Casino, owned by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. Across the road was a brand new school for Choctaw children.
I continued on and on the left was the entrance to the Dancing Rabbit Golf Course, the most expensive and one of the most challenging and beautiful golf courses in the South.By the time I had gotten halfway to Sebastapol, I realized I had taken the wrong turn.
I headed back the 10 or 15 miles to the bypass and found the right road...the one that says, "Neshoba County Fair."
About that time there came a huge thunderstorm but I was on the right road.
I found a parking lot near the gate and jumped out into the rain and the red clay and ran toward the Square and the Pavilion.
When I got there, Rook was just taking the stage where I had seen so many politicians strumming guitars and singing songs.
Nothing changes at the fair.