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WHERE IN MISSISSIPPI IS KILN?
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On the map, Kiln might be located in the deep South, but its residents' hearts are in Green Bay, Wisconsin, every fall as they root for hometown favorite and Packers quarterback Brett Favre. Local businesses proudly adorn themselves in green and gold to welcome other Favre fans from around the country, many of whom are curious about what life is like in a town called Kiln.
quality and ready availability eventually gave Kiln the nickname "moonshine capital of the world." As rumor has it, the Kiln operation even had ties to notorious gangster A1 Capone; according to a Kiln history provided by the Hancock County Library, Capone used a fleet of boats called "Rum Runners" to transport whiskey to Chicago and other faraway destinations.
After the lumber industry here all but dried up in 1930, the railroad was dismantled, and the hotel and hospital eventually closed their doors as well. "The Kiln dwindled down to a small village again," Thigpen wrote. "Franklin Roosevelt, with the help of Congress, repealed the Prohibition Act, and that killed the thriving bootleg whiskey business."
After A1 Capone, the biggest name ever associated with this tiny town has to be Brett Favre. Born in 1969 in Gulfport, the future Green Bay Packers quarterback grew up in Kiln before there was even a stoplight here. At Hancock North Central High School, he was a natural at baseball and football, but it was on the gridiron that he really shined, with help from his father and coach, Irvin. Brett accepted a scholarship to the University
of Southern Mississippi and went on to set school records in passing yards, pass attempts and completions, passing percentage, and touchdowns, according to BrettFavre.com.
Favre was a second-round draft pick of the Atlanta Falcons in 1991; less than a year later, he was traded to Green Bay, where his skills made him a Pro Bowl selection at the age of 23. The honors have continued to pour in; he was named NFL MVP for the 1995, '96, and '97 seasons, and he led his team to a Super Bowl victory in 1997. Even as a pro, Favre hasn't forgotten those in Kiln who helped him achieve success. He had his fourth-grade teacher, Billy Ray Dedeaux, named as the NFL's "Teacher of the Month" in 1994.
Favre fanatics are a big industry in Kiln today. From the "Welcome to Kiln" sign that proclaims the name of the town's favorite son to the restaurants and stores that put out their Packers signs each football season, Kiln residents embrace their newfound fame. In 1997, according to the Associated Press, more than 1,000 Packers fans who couldn't get into the Louisiana Superdome for the championship game drove an hour to Kiln to cheer for the quarterback in his home-
to order: 601.982.8418 ext. 73 or 800.844.8418 ext. 73 (tax, shipping, and handing included) www.mississippimagazine.com
124 MAY/JUNE 2005