As the hour hand on wristwatches Square-wide nears 5 p.m., lovers of music and literacy leave a tip on their dinner tables, and make their way to the entrance of 129 Courthouse Square.
Snooky and Mary Lou Williams, regulars since Thacker Mountain Radio began in 1997, stand at the front of Off Square Books and greet individuals as they enter.
Closer to the Thacker Mountain stage, located in the back right corner of the store, owner Richard Howorth unfolds the last of the 200 wooden chairs.
“Come over here, quickly, before the show starts,” said Snooky Williams, motioning to a piece of posterboard at the front of the bookstore. “Look at the list of Thacker Mountain Radio sponsors. Do you see that empty spot under the $5000 donation title? No? Me neither. That’s because Mr. Howorth is too humble to put his name there. And that, young lady, is the reason behind why he sets up the chairs.”
Once converted from a bookstore to a showroom, the house lights dim, the friendly conversations cease, and host Jim Dees welcomes the audience and those listening on Rebel Radio 92.1 FM and Mississippi Public Radio.
Sixteen years ago, graduate students Caroline Herring and Bryan Ledford came to Richard Howorth with the idea of using Off Square Books as performance space for a music radio show.
“I told them I would agree to the show as long as it would feature both literature and writing,” Howorth said.
Thacker Mountain, a fire observation tower 623 feet above seal level, the highest elevation in Lafayette County, became the name of the new radio show.
“It’s possible that without Richard, Thacker Mountain Radio would be nonexistent,” said Dees, host of Thacker since 2000. “He gave the show it’s name, a place to exist, and kept it afloat financially for years with no real return on his money. He helped birth the show, served two terms as mayor of Oxford, and to date has three successful businesses on the Square. He’s a quality individual and a good friend.”
The beginning stages of Thacker Mountain Radio involved variety show skits and informational segments. Now, Thacker’s booking success has allowed the performers and producers to receive a stipend.
“I do a lot of research to find performers,” producer Kathryn McGaw said. “Richard Howorth completely underwrote the show for the first 8-10 years, and now it’s my job to look for culturally inclusive and expansive artists. Thacker’s mission is to celebrate and document the evolving sounds and stories of a diverse South.”
Longtime fan and sponsor Mary Lou Williams explains how the diversity of the show makes her fall in love again and again each week.
“The show has changed a thousand ways over the years,” she said. “But every week I get to hear a variety of music and readings, and visit with my close friends. I love it, and the best part is, it’s free!”
The literary community of Oxford invites writers and performers of all genres to unite in their common appreciation of the arts.
“Thacker is like a family. Everyone knows everyone, and if they don’t know you, they’ll get to know you,” said Ashley Locke, an intern for the radio program. “Even the authors and musicians coming through start talking like we’re all old friends. The show is less like a reading or a concert, and more like hearing your aunt tell an old story or your uncle play a folk song on his guitar.”
Last October, however, a strong connection within the Thacker Mountain Radio family was broken.
“Since the passing of (Jerry Lee) “Duff“ Dorrough, lead guitarist for the Yalobushwackers, Thacker’s house band, the spirit of the show has grown in his honor,” Kathryn McGaw said. “Duff and Richard are similar characters, in that they work hard to join people together- to make them feel important. They both have a gift of making people feel like they are at the right place at the right time.”
On September 14, 1979, the Oxford and University community allowed the opening of Square Books to become a legendary force within southern literature. Thus, Richard Howorth became the bond between the people and the city’s art and culture.
“Overall, Square Books has grown and expanded with public help and encouragement,” Howorth said. “Together, Off Square Books and Thacker Mountain Radio have helped the community become more of what it has always wanted to be.”
