My Ocean Springs: 2007 in Pictures

John Ruskin, the famous 19th Century art critic and social reformer, never traveled to North America in his lifetime, but this little-known fact did not prevent the legend of “The Ruskin Oak.” The legend claims that Ruskin attended a tea party under the massive live oak after visiting New Orleans in 1885, and even though this isn’t true, the legend has led many an artist to seek inspiration beneath its spacious branches. Rochelle Harper moved to Ocean Springs in 1994 and began playing music in 2000. By 2001, the Rochelle Harper Band had taken shape, with the Ocean Springs Herb & Garden Festival serving as her very first “gig.” Since that beginning, Rochelle has been a fixture at festivals and other venues all along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The self-proclaimed “hippie chick” and her band are known for their original music, connecting with the crowd, and involving children in their inspirational shows.