- [Joe Elmore] This time on Tennessee Crossroads, we take you to Music City with Rob Wilds to meet the creator of harp guitars.

Then, to west Tennessee, where Ken Wilshire explores the Humboldt Strawberry Museum.

Farther west in Memphis, it's the city's oldest cafe with Tammi Arender, and finally, the Belvidere, home of historic Falls Mill.

And this is your home of great weekly adventures, I'm Joe Elmore, welcome to Crossroads.

(smooth jazz guitar music) When you were a youngster, did you have a dream of what you'd like to do later in life?

Well, Rob Wilds discovered how sometimes those dreams get sidetracked, then make a comeback.

You see, this is a story of a man who aspired to be a songwriter, and put his dream on hold to start a family business.

Well, decades later, he's makin' music, yet in a way he'd never imagined before.

(country guitar music) - [Rob Wilds] If you're lookin' for a guitar player in Nashville, well (chuckles) you can find one of those just about anyplace.

If you're lookin' for somebody who can make a guitar, now that's a little bit harder.

And you want somebody who can make a harp guitar?

Well, just about have to call Charles McCormick.

(acoustic guitar music) You'll likely find Charles McCormick at work in his shop.

'Course it's not really work to him.

- [Charles] I love it.

I spend a lot of time right here in this building.

I just get out here and build my guitars.

(machinery whirring) - [Rob] That's right, Charles makes guitars.

All kinds, but specifically, harp guitars, which are what exactly?

(harp guitar music) Muriel Anderson is one of the best-known harp guitar players in the world, and she definitely knows what a harp guitar can do.

- [Muriel] It expands the range of the guitar, and also the type with the resonating chamber just gives a whole different sound, a more, a richness that you don't have with the regular body of the instrument.

And, the new one that I'm playing now has an extra set of trebles, so between the low basses and the super trebles, it gives you just about the range of a grand piano to play with.

So, it opens up your music, you can do a lot more.

- [Rob] Which is an awful lot more than Charles McCormick knew about harp guitars when he saw a picture of one on a young friend's t-shirt and asked him about it.

- [Charles] He told me he would show me one, and he did, and I said right then, "I've gotta make one."

(machinery whirs) - [Rob] And so he did, which sounds incredible unless you know Charles.

He can make just about anything.

He started out as a songwriter, making cuts recorded by folks like Porter Wagoner and Don Gibson.

k Yes I'm cryin' inside k - People urged him to be a songwriter full-time, but Charles put that dream on hold.

- [Charles] I went in business building machines, put my songwritin' on hold, and my music on hold, and, until 2004.

- [Rob] Age and illness have taken their toll a bit on Charles, but neither have dampened his love for music, they just changed his focus a bit.

- [Charles] I love to make music, but I can't anymore because I had a stroke.

It paralyzed my right hand, so, as a ...

I can't play it anymore, but I can still build 'em.

My daddy played the guitar, then my older brother, he started playin' the guitar, and I think I've had it in my blood all the time.

(chuckles) I just love to make music.

- [Rob] You can see his face light up when he talks about the music makers he designs and builds.

And that harp guitar he saw on a t-shirt, and decided he had to build?

He's one of the few craftsmen anywhere who make them.

And Muriel Anderson, the lady who knows very well the beautiful sounds the harp guitar can make, will soon have a couple of Charles's creations to play.

- [Muriel] I'm so delighted that he's building these guitars, and you can just see the joy it's brought to his life, and the players likewise that get to play his instruments.

- [Rob] The only person more delighted is Charles himself, who long ago put aside his music dreams to build a family business, but now has found those dreams again.

- [Charles] I don't know where the time went.

(laughs) Yeah, I'm 78.

It don't seem like I was no time till I was 50, (chuckles) so, the time flies by, but I love to spend my time doin' that.

- [Rob] So, you definitely wouldn't say Charles works on building guitars, no, not work at all for Charles McCormick.

(acoustic guitar music) - Thanks, Ron, well next we head west to Humboldt, Tennessee, where Ken Wilshire explores the history and legend of a sweet little Tennessee treasure.

You see, the strawberry's been part of the local economy there, and now plays a starring role in a local museum.

- [Ken] - Here in west Tennessee, cotton has always been known as the agricultural king, but if cotton's the king... then this lovely little red berry is known as the queen.

(bites) Mmm.

And this queen has a huge court filled with queens, princesses and other royalty who have honored and celebrated the strawberry here in Humboldt since the early 1930s, with the annual West Tennessee Strawberry Festival.

And, to preserve the history of the celebration, as well as the berry, the Strawberry Museum was founded in 1985.

It's located in an old building that mainly served as City Hall for years in downtown Humboldt.

Now, completely restored, it's the home to not only the city's historical memorabilia, but serves as a place for visitors to gain a much better understanding of what the strawberry has meant to this part of the state.

- [Janice Milligan] This is Dr.

Fig's, this is Dr. Spangler's-- - [Ken] Janice Milligan is its curator.

- [Janice] This museum started out to just be Strawberry Festival Museum, and it was at the library, and it kept growin' and growin' and they moved it here about 16 years ago.

(band parade music) During the Strawberry Festival, and right before and right after, we always have lots of visitors.

They want to see the old magazines, which we have magazines all the way from the beginning.

They want to see everything, pictures of themselves that, on floats, all kinds of things that people really love to see from back when they were children.

- [Ken] Well, there's a whole lot more to learn here at the museum.

For example, it may seem a bit strange, but the strawberry is a member of the rose family, and it's the only fruit with seeds on the outside, about 200 or so, but who's counting when they taste so good?

Janice is very familiar with picking strawberries.

Her family grew the berries when she was a youngster.

She says while it may be fun to go out to the berry farms and pick your own, it's a little different when you're picking for money.

- [Janice] When you came to the shed, you would come with a flat of berries, and however many quarts of berries you had in your flat, they would give you a ticket with that number on it.

At the end of the day, you turned in all your tickets, and they paid you a nickel a quart, (laughs) ten cents if you capped 'em.

(old-timey band music) - [Ken] The museum contains more than just strawberry memorabilia.

There's local history, World War II artifacts, and lots more, including Janice's favorites.

- [Janice] I love the old wedding gown, the christening dresses, the textiles of all kind that we have in here.

We have some really nice, we have a dress back here on a mannequin that is a 1890s day dress worn by the first postmistress.

The wedding dress here on the counter was 1865 to 1870s, and the christening dresses were about that old, so I love the old textiles.

- [Ken] And while there's so much more to explore in the museum, you'll find another Tennessee treasure on the second floor.

(upbeat piano music) The West Tennessee Regional Art Center offers its visitors some of the finest artwork one can find in the state... (upbeat piano music) including permanent collections and work of local artists according to center director Bill Hickerson.

- [Bill] As far as we know, we're the only art museum between Memphis and Nashville that displays permanent fine art collections.

(upbeat piano music) We now have two collections: the Caldwell collection donated by Gertrude and Ben Caldwell in Nashville, and the Ewers collection donated by Marge and Bill Ewers also Nashville.

Dr. Caldwell grew up here in Humboldt, and this was sort of his and his wife's way of giving back to his home community, and one of the goals was that art would be accessible for children.

I learn a lot from the children every time we have a group of children come through for a visit, or as part of a tour.

(upbeat piano music) - [Ken] So, as you can see, Humboldt is keenly aware of its heritage, and is committed to preserving the history and traditions of the area.

It has set aside this special place to ensure this happens, and to provide for the enjoyment of the arts for present and future generations.

(upbeat piano music) - By the way, May 3rd through the 9th, Humboldt celebrates its 78th Strawberry Festival.

Now, if you forget and need a reminder, or need to learn anything about our stories, TennesseeCrossroads.org, that's the place to go.

And now, we go further west to downtown Memphis close to Beale Street, where Tammi Arender explores the city's oldest cafe.

It's called the Arcade and here's the secret to success.

(bluesy slide guitar music) - [Tammi] Step inside the Arcade Restaurant in downtown Memphis, and step back into a world where life was slower, cell phones didn't exist, and saturated fat was never spoken.

(bluesy slide guitar music) - Let me know if there's anything I can do to help.

- [Customers] Thank you.

- [Tammi] Harry Zepatos greets his customers with his gracious Greek grin, the third generation to own the oldest restaurant in Memphis opened by his grandfather in 1919.

- [Harry] There was a potbelly stove in the middle of that right there where you are, and they heated and cooked on it, and that business was good.

He chose this location 'cause we were right in the middle of three train stations.

And the biggest one's across the street, and there's one down here, and one to the north.

- [Tammi] Situated at the corner of South Main Street and Calhoun Avenue, the original building was a small, one-story wood-frame structure.

Harry's grandfather tore it down, and built this building in a Greek Revival style.

- [Harry] It was called the Paris Cafe when he bought it.

He changed it to the Arcade right away.

He had seen that name in New York and then in Atlanta, also, and the connotation then was kind of like we think of the mall, you know, food, people, things, places, stuff to do, that sort of thing.

So, ten years or so later, they leased a hotel across the street in that spot right there, and changed the name to the Arcade Hotel.

- [Tammi] The last remodel came in the '50s, but the boomerang tabletop booths and the soda fountain remained.

(milkshake mixer whirring) You can still get an old-fashioned milkshake.

Even Memphis's most famous resident, Elvis, had a special spot.

- [Harry] And he'd come in this back door right there, and he'd sit with his back to where we are now.

And the mirror in front did not have the logo on it, and he'd sit there and he could see who was comin' up behind him, and if he had to get out, then he'd run back out the door.

The King's table is the most popular among out-of-town guests, like these three ladies, who came all the way from Corsicana, Texas.

For Debbie Wright, it's worth traveling three states and 500 miles for the chance to sit where Elvis sat.

- [Debbie] Well, we're just big Elvis fans, and you feel like a little bit a part of him and what he experienced, and his day-to-day life that, you know, he was a very famous person, but he was ordinary guy like all of, just like us, too, you know.

- [Tammi] Well, what about the food?

- [Debbie] Oh, it was great, oh, it's great.

That was the best breakfast.

- [Tammi] Besides the biscuits and buttery pancakes, there's also a blue plate lunch each day.

(pots clattering) - [Mary Dyer] Lima bean, mashed potato today, every Friday we have catfish, you know.

- [Tammi] Mary Dyer has been a part of this kitchen since 1958, making sure that customers are fed the most fabulous southern fare they've ever tasted.

The food has been consistent, and kept customers coming in, even through the lean times, from the Depression to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., which happened just a block away.

Harry's grandfather was told to shut down the restaurant just after the civil rights leader was shot in April of '68.

- [Harry] National Guard had been called in, I don't think they were there yet, but the place was crawlin' with folks, you know, you can imagine, and so he went home, and then they woke him up about 5:00 or 6:00 that morning, only an hour or two or three after he'd gotten there, and said, "Would you come back and open up?

"We've gotta, we don't, we need food."

- [Tammi] When the National Guard left, the once-thriving business started to struggle, but the Zepatos family managed to hang on, and with the rebirth of Memphis's downtown, the Arcade has become one of the city's most popular dining destinations.

Harry believes it's because he offers a different experience.

- [Harry] If you go around town, or in this city or any other, certainly there's more chains than there are local owned and operated places, and you can look in, I get five restaurant magazines a week, probably, so you can thumb through all of these things, and go to a design crew at a school somewhere, and they're all gonna end up lookin' the same, they really are, I think we've got our niche here, and it's neat.

- [Tammi] With such a nostalgic feel and an authentic 1950s look, the Arcade has been seen in more than 30 movies, from Walk The Line, to The Firm, to Great Balls of Fire.

While movie-making has helped put the mom and pop restaurant back on the map, it's the meals and good deals that keep customers coming back for more.

- [Harry] Y'all have a good day.

- [Customer] You too.

(mid-tempo band music) - [Harry] You know, everybody talks about the restaurant being a big deal, and it is, but... it's like havin' a party at your home.

It's like you're gonna have 100 people over to your house.

You know, you clean and you get ready and you prep for what you're gonna do, and you know what you're gonna do, and then you enjoy yourself when it comes, that's all.

- [Tammi] So, you still enjoy yourself?

- [Harry] Absolutely, wouldn't be here if I didn't.

(mid-tempo band music) - Finally, we head to another Tennessee landmark, this time in Middle Tennessee, near Belvidere.

That's where a couple oversees a great example of early technology that pleases visitors from all parts, a place called Falls Mill.

- [Rob] Who doesn't like dippin' their feet in a brisk stream, huh?

And the sound, the sound of running water?

That's delightful right there.

The people who came here to this spot in Belvidere in the mid 1800s, they probably enjoyed the same things, but that sound of water running meant something else to them.

It was the sound of industry and progress and a better way to do an important thing, and so, they built a mill here, and it's still in operation today.

(mid-tempo acoustic guitar) (water running) - [John Lovett] It's a 32-foot water wheel, and it operates all the machinery in the mill.

It was converted to a grain mill in the late 1960s, and we still mill grain products today by power from the water wheel.

- [Rob] John Lovett and wife Jane are the owners of Falls Mill, which was first built as a cotton mill and woolen factory back in 1873.

It's still a working mill, though its purpose has changed.

- [John] We grind about 30,000 pounds a month, and it's mostly white corn for grits, that's our biggest selling item, and we ship those to about 170 restaurants all over the United States.

We also ship to some distributors, and then a lot of individuals that order from us.

- [Rob] Why do you suppose people want the grain that you-- does it taste different?

- Well, we think it does (laughs) when it's milled fresh like that, and the stone burr milling process is a slicing rather than a crushing process, so the nutritionists think that it retains more of the nutrient value when it's milled that way, so there's a, as you know, a movement now back to natural products and local products, and I think that's catching on, and a lot of people are looking now more to stone-ground products, so even some of the larger milling companies now are converting to going back to stone milling.

- [Rob] One of John's duties, along with being one of the owners, is to try to keep the machinery running, which he really loves doing, you see, he's an engineer by training, and so he has a great respect for the inventors who figured out how to harness the water.

- [John] When you look at some of the machinery we have in there, particularly the woolen machinery that we're restoring, it's unbelievable, really, how much genius went into the design and the thought into patenting those types of machines, and for that period, say, between 1860s and '80s when most of those were made, the amount of engineered is just unbelievable.

- [Rob] People are so clever.

- [John] Yes, they are, and we don't give those back in that time period enough credit, I think, for their genius.

- [Rob] If you're gonna run a mill, you need a miller, right?

And Falls Mill has a good one, William Janey, who started working in mills in 1964.

He's still going strong, and happy to pass along what he knows.

- [William] As time goes on, and you see... a lot of people that I can remember in the early years, my milling, you know... passing on, you know, I miss people like that and stories of them goin' to the mill, and it's beginning to mean a little more to me.

(machinery whirs rhythmically) - [Rob] Especially when these kids come through.

I bet they were fascinated with all this stuff.

- Oh yeah, they teach a lot of children about green energy, and this is hands on here.

They can come here (laughs), it's got a way of captivatin' their attention out there at the water wheel, you know, and I think that's real important.

I love for children to see this sort of thing.

- [Child] Cool!

Hey, another waterfall!

- [Rob] Kids come by the hundreds on school trips like these from Heritage Elementary in Birmingham, and on family vacations.

(children clamor) - It's beautiful!

- [Rob] To take in the scenery, and splash in the creek.

Along the way, learning a little about long-ago life.

Not just seeing, but experiencing, which they all seem to love to do.

- [Jane] You wanna help me upstairs, too?

- Me too!

- Can I be the second one?

- [Rob] On the second floor of the mill, John and Jane have put in the Museum of Power and Industry.

- [Jane] Drop it in, Matthew.

- I've seen one of those at a party.

- [Jane] All right, let's see how it works.

See the paper's turning?

(fast-tempo piano music) We really feel like we're stewards of an historic site, and to allow young people who have no concept of where all this comes from, for them to see the power transmission for the first time, it's really exciting.

They'll start with a video that tells about the history, but with a guided tour, we talk about the early history with textiles, and the cotton gin and the woodworking shop, and then we demonstrate the corn milling.

And they get excited with the sound of the machinery and the grain, and then when they come out to see the water wheel, it's like, "Wow," they love it, absolutely love it.

And that makes you feel good, like you're doing something and you're helping to instruct future generations to preserve something that's really worthwhile.

- [Rob] Definitely worth your while to pay a visit, to experience the beauty and the ingenuity, both in abundance at Falls Mill in Belvidere.

(acoustic guitar music) - [Joe] Well, that's it for this week's Tennessee Crossroads, hope you had a good time, and here's what we've been workin' on for next week.

We're gonna take you to Summertown, where Gretchen Bates finds some Texas barbecue that's invaded Tennessee, to Murfreesboro with Rob Wilds to discover the living history of the Oaklands Mansion, to Pegram with Ken Wilshire to explore a place called Legacy Woodworks, and we'll wind up in Middle Tennesse with Nancy Hoddinott at the Nashville Jazz Workshop.

Ought to be a good show, our next Tennessee Crossroads, and of course you're invited.

(mid-tempo jazz music) (electronic tones)