Shared Experiences USA

10/03/2025

Join us at Meraki Roasting Company this Sunday 3pm, for an hour remembering what happened here 150 years ago. John Milton Brown was Coahoma County’s first black sheriff, ousted from his position in a coup on October 5, 1875. (Full story in comments.)

We’ll share the story, commemorate the event and lives lost, create time for personal reflection... and celebrate the life of Sheriff Brown together.

Everyone is welcome, free.

(With thanks to Bill Sutton, Brenda Luckett & Mark Webb for leading and Meraki and Griot for hosting us!)

06/03/2025

Election day reminder: it's June 3rd -- and your vote counts! Here in Coahoma County, we're electing a mayor and commissioners. In the last round here, a race was decided by TWO votes. And as Aallyah and Brenda say, "If you don't vote, you can't squawk!" So tell your friends and fam: polls are open until 7pm.

05/16/2025

Thanks, MPB! We're so proud to be in this birthplace of America's music. And stoked to celebrate all the incredible women behind it. This weekend's 2025 Women in Blues festival: Clarksdale MS is going to be magical. Y'all can find updates on our Live From Clarksdale page and details at www.WomenInBlues.org. The basics?
* Friday's VIP Party 5-7p helps make the festival free to everyone
* Saturday's festival Noon-7pm is gonna be awwwesome (and yes, free!)
* Thursday-Sunday is Women in Blues Weekend at venues across town: check the website for full schedule
..and book your hotel to come Visit Clarksdale now! There are a few great spots left, but rooms are selling out.

We founded Shared Experiences to help people get off the beaten path, and find hidden gems. How perfect to see our neighbors in this one listing:
* Visit Laurel & Jones County to see Lightning Malcolm & Prayer Bailey on Saturday -- who are playing the Matchbox here for Women in Blues.
* Visit Cleveland Mississippi for the Songwriters festival, featuring Tricia Walker. She's a force behind the Deep Roots series, and inspiration to us all.

We work behind the scenes on tourism as economic development. Some folks fret that all these great events could compete with each other. Naw, they actually give people more reasons to . How cool: you can hopscotch between these 3 different, awesome experiences -- all in one weekend!

Here's to hitting the road, and sharing the best of American experiences together.

05/10/2025

Who's ready to Pop-Up Shop? The Clarksdale Carnegie Public Library is hosting a Pop-Up today 10am-3pm, with great local artisans and entrepreneurs. We're bringing new Women in Blues and Live From Clarksdale swag! Musicians often sell CDs and merch to supplement ticket sales... And our merch and VIP Party (Fri. 5/16 5-7pm) help make the 2025 Women in Blues festival: Clarksdale MS (Sat. 5/17 Noon-7pm) FREE to the whole community.

So come with us and our neighbors at the library today! Or get your VIP tix and merch on www.WomenInBlues.org and come Visit Clarksdale for the festival next weekend. We can't wait to see y'all here.

04/11/2025

How's this for live radio: MPB - Mississippi Public Broadcasting magic is here with Felder Rushing, Kamel King AND Germaine Flood together for the Juke Joint Festival. You can now hear AND watch the double-header on replay on MPB's YouTube channel. Catch the Gestalt Gardener at the Collective Seed & Supply, then Next Stop Mississippi with Bubba, Big A, and yes: monkeys-riding-dogs-herding-sheep. We're working on the Women in Blues festival (May 17th!) and will open our doors at 121 Delta Ave. on Saturday. Look for the Red Panther Brewing stage, come say hi and see what's brewing. Thacker Mountain Radio Hour broadcasts onstage live from Clarksdale at 6pm today, and there's everything from panels to pig races and incredible music all. weekend. long. Check the Juke Joint program or website for the full list, then come "juke up in here" with the greatest of people having the best of times. 🎶

04/09/2025

It's official: downtown Clarksdale, Mississippi has a new brewery! Come visit 1st & Delta to see what's brewing... We're getting ready for Women in Blues (May 17th!), and will be open during the Juke Joint Festival this weekend. GPS to 121 Delta, across from the library, and look for the Red Panther stage outside the Collective Seed & Supply. It's hosting Juke Joint's kickoff with John Primer at 5pm Thu.; Felder Rushing's Gestalt Gardener live on MPB at 9am Fri.; the Thacker Mountain Radio Hour with Charlie Musselwhite, Kenny Brown & Duwayne Burnside Fri. 6pm; and incredible music all. day. long Saturday. So pop in to say hi and CONGRATULATIONS to the fabulous Red Panther "claw," and grab a glass of the newest, most locally-brewed ale anywhere in the Delta. 🍻

03/11/2025

Care about Clarksdale, and our local leaders? Come join us Thu. 6p at the City's last all-candidates meeting for Commissioners*. In just one evening you'll get to hear from ALL candidates running to represent your neighborhood at City Hall. Can't vote? Your voice still matters in our town. Come join one of the greatest American traditions, and hear what the candidates say about what matters to you. 🇺🇸

* The mayoral Meet the Candidates meeting is next Thu. 3/20. Same time, same place: 6pm at the Civic Auditorium downtown.

02/25/2025

Plant a tree, then clean up our town! Free trees are behind the USDA starting 7:30am Fri, and everyone’s invited to meet at City Hall on Sat 9am. From there, we’ll take clean-up supplies and spread out across each neighborhood in Clarksdale.

Why plant trees? They counteract the “urban heat island effect” that makes our heat feel so much hotter. When trees and plants provide shade and “evapotranspiration,” they can cool down surface temperatures by over 20 degrees. Trees also help flooding by soaking up water runoff. And they make good homes for birds migrating along our Delta “flyway,” who make this one of the best spots in the country for hunting and birdwatching.

Oh and they boost real estate value, and make our streets beautiful.

Not from Coahoma County? The NRCS sponsors tree giveaways across the country. Check your local USDA for news about tree giveaways near you, and Mississippi State University Extension Service for more info.

…And of course you can find more beauty in your local garden store, or organize a clean-up in your own town!

Thanks to the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, City of Clarksdale, and Coahoma County Soil & Water Conservation District for organizing these for our community.

01/10/2025

Finding warmth in winter: beginning this year with a beautiful snowfall! Crews are working hard to keep our roads and businesses open. The blues world’s now in Memphis for the IBC and fabulous Women in Blues showcase…then coming to Clarksdale where we're all throwing a heckuva after-party. Y'all check the Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Arts calendar for 21 different shows this Fri-Sun alone, including a Ground Zero Blues Club kids jam Sat noon, and Levon's blues jam on Sun happy hour through dinner.

As for today: we already saw the Stone Pony crew cooking up today's special, and the coffee’s piping hot at Meraki and Yazoo Pass.

Wondering if your favorite spot is open? Call them! Then come and juke up with us when you can.

Til then, take it easy on the ice, and as they say, “Y’all be careful now.” Hope you're staying cozy and keeping each other warm out there. 💙

05/14/2024

Can't wait for this weekend's Women in Blues -- bring your picnic blanket and come join us! This year's festival is on the grass behind Levon's, which opens at noon Saturday and will serve Southern food and drinks out the window all day long. You can and support live music with cocktails and mocktails featuring the award-winning, locally crafted spirits from Cathead Distillery and Delta Dirt Distillery. A full tasting is included with tix to Friday's VIP party, on sale at www.WomenInBlues.org help make Saturday's festival free to everyone!

We so appreciate the kindness of sponsors like Levon's. It's co-owned by Jonathan and awesome Woman In Business Naomi King... Who called out of the blue during our first festival to say they were making food for all the musicians, and where did we want it delivered?

That's the kind of community that people fall in love with when they Visit Clarksdale. And the kind of neighbors and businesses we're proud to support too!

As Jonathan and Naomi say, "Kindness Is King." You'll see so much of that, both onstage and behind the scenes this weekend.

The fabulous Charlotte Taylor is returning from Arkansas to play at Levon's for Friday night dinner after the VIP party, starting at 7pm. So make reservations now to join us downtown for great music, great food+drink, and a great time with the greatest of people. 💙

03/31/2024

Happy Easter! Here's a fun hop through downtown Clarksdale. We took our peeps on a stroll 4yrs ago and again today: happy to report Abes BBQ is now celebrating its 100th year, the The Riverside Hotel is fundraising and starting major preservation efforts, and Red's will reopen during Juke Joint this year. Musicians and venues did make it through the last few years thanks in part to their new Venmos and you! And we've got more sweet treats around the corner... Here's to renewal. Hope y'all have a great day and Spring ahead. 🐣

A sweet tour of Clarksdale, Mississippi for friends near and far -- with love from our Peeps to yours.