By Harold Brummett
Denmark Star Route

Several years ago my daughter Patti and I went to a Marty Stuart concert on the campus of the local university. We heard about the concert late and went on a whim hoping we could get in. 

The concert was sold out and as we stood in the parking lot, a gentleman walked up to us and asked if we had tickets. We said no and he gave us a couple of tickets. Our thanks was the only pay he would take. 

Marty Stuart came on stage and introduced a surprise guest, Merle Haggard. Patti and I felt as if we had hit both silver and gold. Songs were sung and we went away grateful fate had put Marty and Merle where we could enjoy their talents. 

After the concert, Marty Stuart and Merle Haggard went over to the Faulkner house, where a select group of big wheels had gathered to meet these celebrities.  Stuart and Haggard sang some songs there and Merle Haggard wandered the grounds. 

Later in an interview by Patsy R. Brumfield in the April 7, 2016, edition of Mississippi Today, she wrote “He was so curious about who this Faulkner fellow was. Years later, Marty said Merle called him one night from somewhere like Minnesota to ask him where that big ole white house was in Mississippi.” Stuart reminded him it was in Oxford. “You reckon they’d sell it to me?” Haggard said.

The only dealings I have had with Cedar Oaks was removing some honey bees. The bees were getting inside the house, but their main opening was on the second floor near a window cornice. 

A tall ladder and upset bees made for an interesting afternoon. The building was in good shape as far as I could tell from being so old. I liked the house and was glad someone was taking care of it and allowing for tours.

The town as far as I know has no need for revenue, and with the revenue it has can afford Cedar Oaks. The practical uses it could be put to are endless. 

While Cedar Oaks may not generate the revenue that the conference center does, someone with a little imagination could put it in harness and generate some revenue to help pay its way and keep it available to the public.  

Merle Haggard is gone now, but one cannot help but wonder, who called and asked if Cedar Oaks was for sale.