MERIGOLD — Family members say they want to reopen an iconic Mississippi Delta juke joint that’s been closed since the owner died in July.
Daniel Morris, a lawyer for the Seaberry family, tells the Mississippi Business Journal the family wants to resume operating Po’ Monkey’s Lounge in Bolivar County.
The former sharecropper’s shack, standing alone in a field, has been closed since its namesake, Willie “Po’ Monkey” Seaberry, died last year.
Morris says Seaberry’s widow, Eula Mae Seaberry, was left in charge of her husband’s estate, which was incorporated Feb. 8 as Po’ Monkey’s Inc. Morris says relatives hope to reopen on July 12, the anniversary of Willie Seaberry’s death.
Born as a local bar, Po’ Monkey’s became a tourist attraction as Mississippi sought to promote its blues heritage.
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