On September 8, the Lower Mississippi River Foundation will host Dr. James Giesen of the MHC’s Speakers Bureau to present his free and open to the public lecture “Water Ways: Ebbs & Flows of Mississippi History” at the Quapaw Canoe Company in Clarskdale. The program will take place in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution’s traveling exhibit Water/Ways, which the Lower Mississippi River Foundation will host from August 31 through October 13.
There are few states where water has been more central to its history and culture than Mississippi. From ship-building on the coast to Native American migration along rivers and streams, from Civil Rights Movement wade-ins to Civil War strategy, water has played a central role in how and why the Magnolia State looks and operates as it does today. Giesen will tell three interrelated histories of water in Mississippi to make the case that Mississippians today often overlook both the breadth and variety of ways that water has affected the history of their state. From massive natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina and the 1927 Mississippi River Flood, to great success stories like the shipbuilding and fishing industries, to less well-known incidents where water played an important role in the development of small communities and towns, the talk will tell not just the well-known water histories of the state, but show how water has become an often overlooked factor in our past, present, and future.
Future Water/Ways Events @ LMRF*
September 8, 2pm (HELENA): “The Mississippi Flood of 1927”
September 14-15 (HELENA): “Plein Air Paint Out” art competition and classes
September 15, 9am (HELENA): Kayak test drive
September 15, 12pm: “Flood Control on the Big River” panel discussion
September 22: Smithsonian Museum Day
September 22 (HELENA): Great Arkansas Clean Up
September 22, 4pm: “Relay of Voices” dance and storytelling performance
September 23, 3pm (HELENA): Autumn kayak tour
September 27, 5pm (HELENA): Youth art exhibit and sale
September 29, 12pm: Youth art exhibit and sale
October 6, 12pm: “Swimming and Civil Rights” panel discussion
October 6-7: Sunflower River Paddle Day
October 7, 12pm: “Mississippi River Blues”
October 7, 3pm (HELENA) Horner Neck kayak tour
October 13, 9am: River Clean-Up
October 13 (HELENA): Steamboat presentation and kids’ craft time
*Most Water/Ways events take place in Clarksdale. Some, as noted, take place in Helena, Arkansas.
